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Justice Department sues Kansas City, Kansas, school district over transgender notification policies
Federal authorities are using student privacy law to challenge district rules that allow withholding a child's gender transition from parents.
The short version
- The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the Kansas City, Kansas, school district over policies regarding transgender students' names, pronouns, and parental notification.
- Federal officials contend the district violated the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), marking the first time the administration has used this statute to argue parents have a right to know about a student's gender transition.
- The school district disputed claims that it is violating federal law, while other noncompliant Kansas districts face potential losses of federal funding as litigation proceeds.
Key facts
- The Justice Department filed a federal lawsuit against the school system in Kansas City, Kansas, seeking to require the district to rescind its policies regarding transgender students and expand parental access to records.[Associated Press]
- The legal action marks the first time the administration has invoked the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act to assert that parents have a legal right to be informed about a child's gender transition.[Associated Press]
- The lawsuit originated from an Education Department investigation prompted by a complaint from the conservative Defense of Freedom Institute regarding four Kansas school districts.[Associated Press]
- Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools, which serves more than 20,000 students, denied that its policies violate federal law and expressed disappointment over the lawsuit.[Associated Press]
- Among other investigated districts, Topeka Public Schools agreed to rescind its previous guidance, while Olathe and Shawnee Mission districts refused voluntary compliance and could face federal funding cuts.[Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- The Education Department has not cited a specific recorded instance where the Kansas City, Kansas, district withheld a student's gender transition at a parent's request.[Associated Press]
- It remains unresolved whether the federal government will proceed with stripping federal funds from the Olathe and Shawnee Mission public school districts.[Associated Press]