On July 2, 2026, Defending Education filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education against the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), Jurupa Unified School District (JUSD) and Carlsbad Unified School District (CUSD). All three have violated Title IX, which bans sex discrimination in education. DE filed the complaint on behalf of a parent whose daughters attend CUSD schools and compete against JUSD students in CIF sports.
Congress passed Title IX to end a long history of unfair treatment of women and girls in schools. But CIF, JUSD, and CUSD reverse this progress by denying girls bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports teams of their own.
CUSD lets males use female bathrooms and locker rooms. They refused to let the parent opt her daughters out of sharing private spaces with male students at their middle and high schools. District leaders have vowed to defy the Trump Administration’s reading of Title IX until a court orders them to change course.
Meanwhile, CIF and JUSD force girls to compete against male athletes on girl’s sports teams. Just a few weeks ago, this parent’s daughter had to race against a male in a state track championship.
CIF, JUSD, and CUSD put the wishes of male students who identify as girls ahead of the girls Title IX was written to protect. The Supreme Court’s recent decisions in West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox make that position even harder to defend.
Defending Education urges the Department to investigate and fix policies that have become far too common at schools across the country.
Read the full complaint below:
