Trump Admin Takes Action Against School Districts Hiding ‘Transgender Status’ From Parents

The Trump administration announced Monday that it is taking enforcement action against two public school districts accused of concealing students’ gender identity information from parents, warning the districts could face lawsuits and the loss of federal funding for violating federal privacy law.

The Department of Education said it has partnered with the Justice Department to pursue enforcement against Anne Arundel County Public Schools in Maryland. It also gave Ann Arbor Public Schools in Michigan until August 10 to explain why similar action should not move forward.

The investigations center on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which guarantees parents access to their children’s education records. The Trump administration argues that school policies directing staff to withhold information about a student’s gender identity or social transition from parents violate those protections.

“As a mother and a grandmother, it is unconscionable that any school district would hide the most sensitive information about children in their care from their own parents,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “This is not only an affront to basic moral principles, but also to parents’ rights under federal law.”

“Today, ED and DOJ are putting districts on notice that we will use every tool available to hold them to account for this egregious behavior,” she added. “Under the Trump Administration, ED and DOJ are working together to vigorously uphold parents’ federal protections, and we will work to ensure that no parent is ever kept in the dark about important matters relating to their children.”

According to the Education Department, its Student Privacy Policy Office received complaints from parents in Anne Arundel County who discovered their daughter was being referred to by male pronouns at school. The parents said they learned about the situation only after receiving an email from school staff.

When the parents sought information about what the school described as their child’s “gender transition,” the principal allegedly refused to provide details while an assistant principal declined to turn over relevant records, prompting the federal investigation. The Education Department said Anne Arundel County improperly classified information about a student’s so-called “gender identity” as confidential medical information that could not be shared with parents. The agency said those practices unlawfully prevented parents from exercising their rights under FERPA.

The action comes weeks after the same parents filed a federal lawsuit against the district with representation from America First Legal, the conservative organization founded by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. The lawsuit claims school officials socially transitioned their daughter by using a masculine name and pronouns without notifying or obtaining consent from her parents. The Education Department said it is working with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division to pursue enforcement against the Maryland district, including potential judicial proceedings and termination of federal funding.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the administration intends to aggressively enforce the law. “School districts that hide information from parents are violating federal law,” Dhillon said. “FERPA is not optional, and any districts that attempt to bypass or distort its requirements should expect immediate federal action.”

Additionally, the administration found Ann Arbor Public Schools’ policy requiring employees to conceal a student’s “transgender status” from parents likely violates FERPA. Federal officials also questioned the district’s practice of maintaining records related to a student’s “gender identity” in a separate filing system.

The Education Department said the cases build on a broader effort by the Trump administration to strengthen parental rights. Earlier this year, the department launched statewide investigations into policies that allegedly concealed students’ “gender identity” from parents and issued a finding against the California Department of Education over the use of secret “gender support plans” and hidden student records.

In March 2025, the department sent a nationwide letter reminding state education officials that concealing a child’s “gender identity” from parents was a priority enforcement issue under FERPA.

FERPA violations can ultimately result in the loss of federal education funding, though that penalty has historically been used sparingly.