The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened 18 Title IX investigations into K‑12 systems and colleges with policies allowing transgender students to compete on teams aligned with their gender identity. OCR cited complaints alleging the policies undermine opportunities for cisgender women and said it will aggressively pursue the cases; the list includes large districts such as New York City and state systems including Hawaii. Assistant Secretary Kimberly Richey said investigators would leave “no stone unturned.” The federal actions come as the U.S. Supreme Court heard back‑to‑back arguments in cases testing state bans on transgender girls’ participation in girls’ sports. Justices probed the scope of Title IX and equal‑protection claims, with conservative members expressing concern about impacts on women’s athletics. The twin developments could reshape campus athletic policies, compliance burdens, and potential funding risks for institutions under federal civil‑rights enforcement.