The U.S. Department of Education is launching a Title IX investigation into the governing body of high school sports in two states, including California.

In a release on Wednesday, the Department of Education said the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) “publicly announced plans to violate federal antidiscrimination laws related to girls’ and women’s sports.” The department is also investigating the Minnesota State High School League.

The probe is the latest action since President Donald Trump’s executive order prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in girls and women’s sports.

The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights announced last Thursday an investigation into San Jose State University for “reported violations of Title IX.” The University of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association also were named as targets of that investigation.

The CIF says it is in compliance with California law by permitting “students to participate in school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, consistent with the student’s gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the student’s records.”

The CIF said on Wednesday afternoon that while it is aware of the Department of Education’s probe, “we do not comment on pending investigations.” The organization also said it does not collect data regarding transgender student-athletes.

In a statement to the Bay Area News Group, Equality California executive director Tony Hoang expressed support for CIF’s policy.

“This policy aligns with California law and the fundamental principles of fairness and inclusion,” Hoang said. “These protections have existed for years without issue and have allowed the small number of transgender athletes in California to play school sports alongside their teammates — just like everyone else.”

Hoang called the new federal investigation “another politically motivated attack and part of a broader effort to weaponize the government against transgender youth. It is a deliberate attempt to stigmatize and exclude transgender students as part of a coordinated agenda to erase transgender people from public life.”

The California Family Council, a conservative parents’ rights group, released a statement Wednesday praising the investigation.

“For too long, CIF has turned a blind eye to the concerns of female athletes, parents, and coaches, prioritizing radical gender ideology over fairness, safety, and the integrity of women’s athletics,” the organization wrote. “This investigation is a crucial step toward restoring justice in high school sports.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office declined to comment.

Known instances of transgender athletes participating in girls’ and women’s sports are small, but there have been high-profile examples. In November, Stone Ridge Christian High School of Merced refused to face San Francisco Waldorf School in a CIF NorCal Division VI volleyball match, citing its belief that SF Waldorf had a transgender player on its roster.

At Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, two transgender girls have faced scrutiny and threats while competing in track and field and cross country. In May 2023, two runners competing in the girls 1,600 meters withdrew from the CIF meet in Clovis after receiving threats alleging that they were transgender.

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On Tuesday, the Education Department urged the NCAA and National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) to alter records, championships, awards and honors that it claims have been “misappropriated by biological males competing in female categories.”

On Feb. 5, Trump signed an executive order entitled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” that reversed Title IX guidance under former President Joe Biden. The previous guidance advised educators to allow players on teams that suited their gender identity rather than their gender assigned at birth.

The NCAA followed suit on Feb. 6, limiting competition in women’s sports to athletes assigned female at birth only. The organization, the most prominent governing body in college sports, had previously allowed transgender athletes to play at San Jose State and other colleges.