A regional law firm has asked federal officials to investigate 16 Minnesota school districts over policies governing transgender students' participation in sports, use of facilities, and social transitions. The Upper Midwest Law Center sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights in September 2025, claiming the districts violate Title IX, the Constitution, and federal executive orders. The firm simultaneously contacted the 16 districts and the Minnesota State High School League with identical allegations.
The targeted policies permit students who identify as transgender to compete on teams matching their gender identity, access restrooms and locker rooms aligned with that identity, and share overnight lodging with students of the opposite biological sex, according to the Upper Midwest Law Center. Multiple districts also allow or mandate that schools change a student's name and pronouns without informing or securing approval from parents, the firm contends. The 16 named districts include Anoka-Hennepin, Bloomington, Burnsville-Eagan-Savage, Duluth, Hopkins, Minneapolis, Moorhead, North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale, Osseo, Richfield, Robbinsdale, Rochester, Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan, St. Louis Park, St. Paul, and White Bear Lake.
The law firm argues Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison's stance on the matter "is contrary to federal law, has created confusion for school districts, and makes federal enforcement action more urgent." Ellison wrote to the Minnesota State High School League in February 2025 stating that compliance with federal executive orders on this issue would breach the Minnesota Human Rights Act, effectively urging the league to continue permitting biological males in girls' athletics. He also filed suit against the Trump administration over its reading of Title IX in spring 2025, but a federal judge dismissed most claims. Meanwhile, the Justice Department sued the Minnesota Department of Education and the High School League in spring 2026, alleging they "have engaged in sex-based discrimination by requiring girls to compete against boys in athletic competitions that are designated exclusively for girls."
The legal pressure coincides with a citizen campaign called Make It Fair MN, which focuses on sports eligibility and tells schools they can revise policy "without waiting for another legislative session, another election, or years of additional litigation." The High School League adopted its current transgender participation rule in 2014 through a board decision rather than a vote of its 509 member schools, the group notes. Under the league's constitution, each member school appoints two representatives who can propose and vote on bylaw amendments. Make It Fair MN has circulated a draft amendment that would set eligibility for sex-separated sports based on biological sex at birth, a change the group says could also resolve issues raised in the Justice Department lawsuit. The Upper Midwest Law Center is seeking potential plaintiffs harmed by the challenged policies and asks anyone affected to contact the firm.