The University of Pennsylvania has resolved violations a Department of Education civil rights investigation found involving transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, the school and Trump administration announced Tuesday.
The agreement requires the university to follow Title IX as interpreted by the Department of Education and adopt Trump’s executive order defining sex as biological, the department said. The school will no longer allow transgender women in female sports and will provide sex-based locker rooms, the university said.
Under the agreement, the university will also restore individual Division I swimming records, titles or similar recognitions to female athletes and send a personalized letter of apology to each impacted female swimmer, according to the Education Department.
Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon applauded the “common sense” victory for women and girls.
“Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, UPenn has agreed both to apologize for its past Title IX violations and to ensure that women’s sports are protected at the University for future generations of female athletes,” McMahon said in a statement.
A Penn spokesperson said the university will comply with Title IX as interpreted by the Department of Education in all of its athletics programs. The school vows to shield female students from discrimination in its programs and keep student-athlete bathroom and locker room access strictly separate on the basis of sex.
On the school’s Title IX compliance page, the university said it will adhere to two of the president’s executive orders that defend women from “gender ideology extremism” within the federal government and ban transgender athletes from women’s sports.
In addition, “the University will not delegate its obligation to comply with Title IX to an external association or other entity and it will not contract with, or arrange with any third party entity to provide benefits of the University’s athletics programs, if that third-party entity is acting in violation of Title IX,” according to the school’s spokesperson.
University of Pennsylvania President Dr. J. Larry Jameson said he is “pleased that we were able to reach a resolution” in what he called a “complex issue.”
“Our commitment to ensuring a respectful and welcoming environment for all of our students is unwavering,” he said in a letter to the school community. “At the same time, we must comply with federal requirements, including executive orders, and NCAA eligibility rules, so our teams and student-athletes may engage in competitive intercollegiate sports.”
The resolution agreement follows a two-month investigation into the school’s practices, which demanded the university issue a statement that it will comply with the law, apologize to athletes whose athletic participation was “marred by sex discrimination” and restore all athletics records or accolades “misappropriated by male athletes.”
The administration had previously suspended $175 million in federal contracts awarded to Penn, citing the participation of a transgender athlete — Lia Thomas — on a women’s swimming team during the 2021-2022 swim season. Thomas became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship while competing for the Ivy League school.
Jameson noted that at the time Thomas was on the team, Penn was “in compliance with NCAA eligibility rules and Title IX as then interpreted.”
“While Penn’s policies during the 2021-2022 swim season were in accordance with NCAA eligibility rules at the time, we acknowledge that some student-athletes were disadvantaged by these rules,” he said. “We recognize this and will apologize to those who experienced a competitive disadvantage or experienced anxiety because of the policies in effect at the time.”
In February, the NCAA updated its policy to only allow student-athletes assigned female at birth to participate in women’s sporting competitions, following Trump’s executive order on transgender athletes.
Jameson said the university will review and update the Penn women’s swimming records set during that season “to indicate who would now hold the records under current eligibility guidelines.”
ABC News has reached out to a representative of Thomas for comment.
Riley Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer who tied with Thomas at the 2022 NCAA Division 1 Swimming & Diving Championships, called the agreement a “historic display” of protecting women’s sports.
The resolution comes on the heels of the Education Department recognizing June as “Title IX Month,” which commemorates women and celebrates their struggle for, and achievement of, equal educational opportunity.
