San Jose State University has been at the center of a national fight over whether transgender athletes can compete on women’s teams, after the Trump administration said the school broke federal law by letting a transgender volleyball player participate.
In a notice Wednesday, the U.S. Education Department said its investigation concluded that San Jose State discriminated against women in violation of Title IX, the 1972 gender-equity law, by allowing the athlete to play on the women’s volleyball team. The department also alleged that the university retaliated against players who condemned the decision, according to the Education Department’s case summary.
The department said it offered the California university a path to resolve the matter without a lawsuit. Under the proposed deal, San Jose State would have to accept the administration’s definitions of “male” and “female,” and it would also have to restore titles and records that Trump officials said were “misappropriated by male athletes.”
A statement from San Jose State said officials are reviewing the proposal. The university added that it “remain[s] committed to providing a safe, respectful, and inclusive educational environment for all students while complying with applicable laws and regulations.”
The Education Department said the settlement offer includes an apology requirement for women athletes affected by the alleged changes. As part of the deal proposed by the administration, San Jose State would have to send a personalized apology to every woman who played on the women’s indoor volleyball team from 2022 through 2024, as well as to the 2023 beach volleyball team, the department said.
The department also said San Jose State would have to apologize to any woman who forfeited rather than play the Spartans. If the university rejects the proposal, the Education Department said San Jose State could face a Justice Department lawsuit and risk losing federal funding.
The department’s action comes after it opened an investigation into San Jose State in February, alongside a similar probe involving the University of Pennsylvania. AP reported that Penn later agreed to a deal that modified school records connected to transgender swimmer Lia Thomas and included an apology to other athletes on the swim team, in line with the approach the administration is now offering to San Jose State.
Department officials said the Education Department has taken action against a series of states, schools and colleges that allow transgender athletes, a step President Donald Trump has promised to end. In a statement, Kimberly Richey, assistant secretary for civil rights at the Education Department, said, “We will not relent until SJSU is held to account for these abuses and commits to upholding Title IX to protect future athletes from the same indignities.”
San Jose State’s volleyball program became a flashpoint after nine student athletes in the Mountain West Conference filed a lawsuit challenging the league’s policies allowing transgender athletes to compete. The players argued it was unfair and posed a safety risk, and AP reported that several teams refused to play San Jose State, resulting in losses.
San Jose State has not confirmed whether its volleyball team had a transgender player.