The Education Department has launched investigations into 18 school districts and colleges alleging policies that allow students to participate in athletics according to gender identity, the agency said this week. Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said investigators will examine whether those practices deny girls and women equal access to sports under Title IX. The targeted list spans multiple states and includes K–12 districts and community colleges; the department has warned it may withhold funding from noncompliant systems. The move follows the administration’s rollback of Biden‑era Title IX guidance and comes amid a wave of state legislation and federal enforcement actions focused on women’s sports. For higher‑education leaders, the probes raise immediate compliance concerns: athletic policies, locker‑room access, and single‑sex program rules will be subject to federal review. Schools flagged by the department face reputational and fiscal risk while legal challenges over the scope of Title IX enforcement are likely to follow.