The U.S. Department of Education says a Title IX investigation into Smith College is underway.
In its announcement Monday, the department said its Office of Civil Rights is looking into whether the Northampton, Massachusetts, school violated Title IX by admitting trans women to the historic women's college.
Referring to trans women as "biological males," the Department of Education claimed that by allowing trans students into "women's intimate spaces," the school potentially violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
The Education Department says Title IX "contains a single-sex exception that allows colleges to enroll all-male or all-female student bodies" but that "the exception applies on the basis of biological sex difference," not what the department calls "subjective gender identity."
In a letter to the campus community, Smith College Dean Alexandra Keller said the school does not comment on pending government investigations, but that Smith "remains fully committed to our institutional mission and values, including compliance with civil rights laws."
Smith College previously changed its admission policies in 2015 to allow transgender students.
The school also accepts both men and women applicants for its graduate programs.
