The Trump administration escalated its crackdown on school districts that shield students' gender identity from parents, threatening to pull federal funding from two districts in Maryland and Michigan. The Education Department, in coordination with the Justice Department, announced Monday it is taking action against Anne Arundel County Public Schools and Ann Arbor Public Schools for policies that the agencies argue violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
FERPA grants parents the legal right to access their children's education records. The Education Department's Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO) has been increasingly aggressive on this front, sending a “Dear Colleague” letter in March 2025 to state superintendents warning against practices that conceal gender identity information from parents.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon issued a sharp warning: “FERPA is not optional, and any districts that attempt to bypass or distort its requirements should expect immediate federal action.”
Anne Arundel County is accused of classifying “gender identity” as “classified medical information” and refusing to disclose a student's gender transition to parents who directly asked the school. Ann Arbor Public Schools faces similar allegations for a policy that bars faculty from revealing any student's gender identity status to parents, and for maintaining a separate filing system for gender identity records.
The Education Department is threatening “applicable judicial proceedings and potential loss of federal funding” for the Anne Arundel district. Ann Arbor has been given until August 10 to show why enforcement should not proceed.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon made the administration's stance clear: “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. 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.”
Anne Arundel County Public Schools pushed back, telling an NBC affiliate that it learned of the accusations through the press release and has not received formal correspondence or evidence from the Education Department supporting the findings.
The move comes amid broader legal battles over transgender student policies. The Supreme Court recently blocked a California policy that would have banned automatic notifications when a student changes their gender identity.
The administration's aggressive posture echoes a pattern of using federal funding as leverage on cultural issues. In a separate front, the Justice Department has also been testing dormant legal mechanisms for deporting terror suspects, signaling a broader push to expand executive authority.
Critics argue the administration is misusing FERPA to override local control and target LGBTQ+ students. Supporters say it restores parental rights. With midterms approaching, the fight over transgender policies in schools is likely to intensify.
