Police protection was assigned to Greely High School in Maine this week after one of the school’s transgender athletes was thrust into the national spotlight, per multiple reports.
The school is home to a transgender track and field athlete who recently took first place at a girls’ state pole vault competition. The athlete, who recently competed in the boys’ category, out-jumped every other female by half a foot, and the winning pole vault was pivotal in helping Greely High School win the Class B state championship meet by just a single point.
Due to the win, the trans athlete has also automatically qualified for the multistate regional championships, taking the spot that would have been awarded to the female athlete who garnered second place had Spencer competed in the boys’ division.
Last week, news of the athlete’s win went national after it was publicized by state Rep. Laurel Libby.
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When students returned from a school district vacation this week, the police presence at the school reportedly heightened after a highly-publicized spat between President Donald Trump and Maine Gov. Janet Mills over the state’s refusal to comply with Trump’s recent executive order to ban biological males from girls’ sports.
Cumberland Police Department Capt. Mindy Coe told News Center Maine that the school and parents expressed concerns for safety amid the national controversy.
“There were some concerns from the school and the parents that coming back from vacation today that there might be some issues,” Coe said. “We wanted to relay their fears and have some more cars in the area.”
Jeffrey Porter, superintendent of the Cumberland-North Yarmouth School District, told the Portland Press Herald that there hasn’t been a specific threat against the school that warranted the police protection, but it is precautionary due to recent social media activity.
“Along with this attention has been a flurry of online postings and communications, including some that have been of concern to members of the school community,” Porter said. “Please know this is not in response to any specific threat or information; rather, it is a proactive security measure only.”
Trump vowed to cut funding to the state for refusing to follow his order during a gathering of governors at the White House.
“I hate to tell you this, but we’re not going to give them any federal money, they are still saying, ‘We want men to play in women’s sports’ and I can not believe that they’re doing that… So we’re not going to give them any federal funding, none whatsoever, until they clean that up.”
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, Maine received more than $360 million, or about 10.1% of its education funding, from the federal government in the 2021-22 fiscal year.
On Friday, Mills’ office responded with a statement threatening legal action against the Trump administration if it did withhold federal funding from the state. Then, Trump and Mills verbally sparred in a widely-publicized argument at the White House during a bipartisan meeting of governors.
“Are you not going to comply with that?” Trump asked Mills.
“I’m complying with state and federal laws,” she responded, before Trump said “Well, we are the federal law” and “You better do it, you better do it because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t.
“And by the way, your population, even though it’s somewhat liberal, although I did very well there, your population doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports, so you better comply because otherwise you’re not getting any federal funding,” Trump continued.
“We’ll see you in court,” Mills responded.
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Just hours after that interaction, the U.S. Department of Education announced it will be investigating the state for allowing trans athletes to compete in girls’ sports and potential Title IX violations.
Maine is the fourth state to have a Title IX investigation launched against it for defying Trump’s order since it was signed on Feb. 5. The DOE announced on Feb. 12 it would be investigating the high school athletic associations in California and Minnesota after those states refused to comply with Trump’s recent order.
Before that, the DOE announced on Feb. 6 it would investigate the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) alongside San Jose State University and the University of Pennsylvania for potential Title IX violations.
A female high school track and field athlete praised Trump for intervening in the situation on Friday.
Zoe, who competed in shot put at Maine’s Class B state indoor championship meet on Monday, said she is “grateful” for the president’s announcement that he will be cutting federal funding to Maine over its defiance of Trump’s order to keep men out of women’s sports, adding that leaders in the state “have failed our female athletes.”
“State leaders have failed our female athletes and there needs to be repercussions for their neglect,” Zoe said. “We feel seen and heard because of this announcement and hope that steps will continue to be made to protect women’s sports in Maine.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “Partisan elected officials and judicial activists who seek to legally obstruct President Trump’s agenda are defying the will of 77 million Americans who overwhelmingly re-elected President Trump,” and added that “their efforts will fail.”
“All of President Trump’s executive actions are lawful, constitutional and intended to deliver on the promises he made to the American people,” Leavitt said. “The Trump administration is prepared to fight these battles in court and will prevail.”
Fox News Digital’s Alex Schemel contributed to this report.
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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.
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