The Biden administration on Friday officially withdrew a proposed Title IX rule change that would have prohibited schools from categorically barring athletes who identify as transgender from participating on teams of the opposite sex.

Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and the Office for Civil Rights published a docket in the Federal Register withdrawing the proposal, which was announced in April 2023.

If approved, the proposed rule change would have prohibited schools from implementing a one-size-fits-all ban on transgender athletes participating on teams that match their stated gender identity, though it would have allowed for some limitations for fairness and safety. Any permitted limitations would have been required to serve “important educational objectives,” the White House said at the time.

“Every student should be able to have the full experience of attending school in America, including participating in athletics, free from discrimination,” Cardona said in a prepared statement announcing the proposal, which would have applied to any school or college that receives federal funding.

In the five-page docket published Friday, Cardona noted that his Department of Education received more than 150,000 public comments on the proposal. “Commenters offered a broad spectrum of opinions,” the docket says. The docket also noted that “there are multiple pending lawsuits related to the application of Title IX in the context of gender identity.”

“In light of the comments received and those various pending court cases, the Department has determined not to regulate on this issue at this time,” the docket reads.

More than 20 states have passed laws in recent years restricting athletes from participating in sports of the opposite sex.