Trump administration threatens Kansas school district funding over transgender student policy
The U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday that it is partnering with the Department of Justice to pursue enforcement action against Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, potentially including the withholding of federal funding, over its policies on transgender student privacy.
Federal officials say the district's policy of not disclosing a student's transgender status to their parents violates the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, commonly known as FERPA. The Education Department's Student Privacy Policy Office directed the district to change its practices through a proposed Resolution Agreement, but the department says the district has refused to comply.
"Kansas City Kansas Public Schools' sustained efforts to sidestep FERPA, conceal its true policies, and obstruct parents' lawful access to their children's education records represents a serious and deliberate breach of federal law," said Frank Miller, Director of the Student Privacy Policy Office at the Education Department. "A strong and coordinated enforcement partnership between the Department of Education and the Department of Justice will ensure districts are held accountable and fully honor parents' rights."
The Education Department said the district's written policy instructs school personnel that they "should not disclose information that may reveal a student's transgender status or gender nonconforming presentation to others, including parents." Federal officials argue that practice conflicts directly with parental rights guaranteed under FERPA, which governs access to student education records.
The enforcement action could involve judicial proceedings and the loss of federal education funding. A spokesperson for the district did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This is not the first time the district has been in the federal government's crosshairs. Earlier this year, the Education Department found that policies in four Kansas school districts, including Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, were violating federal law regarding transgender students.
The announcement comes on the same day the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states may bar transgender women and girls from competing in girls' and women's sports, upholding laws in Idaho and West Virginia while leaving the question open for other states without such restrictions. The high court's decision follows an executive order from President Donald Trump aimed at keeping transgender athletes out of female sports categories.
The Trump administration has also threatened to pull federal funding from other school districts around the country over their transgender-related policies, signaling an escalating federal push to influence how schools handle issues of gender identity and parental notification.
The case against Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools now stands as one of the most concrete examples of that push moving from warning to formal enforcement.
