Education Secretary Calls for Federal Crackdown on Schools Allegedly Hiding Gender-Transition Information

Education Secretary Linda McMahon asserted that investigations in three states uncovered public-school officials assisting children in socially transitioning while deliberately keeping those actions hidden from parents. In response, the U.S. Department of Education announced “significant action” against Anne Arundel County Public Schools in Maryland and Ann Arbor Public Schools in Michigan, and indicated that the Justice Department would pursue enforcement against the districts. McMahon also said the department was reviewing whether to withhold federal funding from the Burlington School District in Vermont over a separate survey of seventh-graders on sex and substance use that lacked parental consent.

The Advocate

The Department of Education’s findings referenced the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which permits schools to treat a student’s gender-identity information as a private medical or educational record that can be kept confidential from parents without the student’s consent. McMahon has previously threatened to withhold federal funds from Kansas districts over similar allegations, and the organization America First Legal—founded by White House adviser Stephen Miller—has financed lawsuits challenging policies that protect LGBTQ+ students from involuntary outing.

The Advocate

McMahon framed the issue as a moral and legal affront to parents, emphasizing her personal stake as a mother and grandmother. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon warned that districts concealing such information are violating federal law and that the Justice Department will initiate enforcement proceedings in partnership with the Education Department.

The Advocate

• “This is a travesty that parents are not considered first and foremost in charge of their children. They don't belong to the government,” — Linda McMahon, education secretary

The Advocate

• “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. This is not only an affront to basic moral principles, but also to parents’ rights under federal law,” — Linda McMahon, education secretary

The Advocate

• “School districts that hide information from parents are violating federal law,” — Assistant Attorney General Harmeet, said assistant attorney

The Advocate