Justice Department sues Anne Arundel County schools over transgender student policies
The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Anne Arundel County Public Schools over its policies for transgender students, alleging the district violated parents' rights by allowing students to use different names or pronouns at school without their parents' knowledge.
The Justice Department alleges the district withheld information from parents and denied them access to certain student records.
Federal officials accuse the district of secretly "gender transitioning" students without their parents' knowledge or consent and blocking parents from accessing information about their children that they are entitled to receive under federal law.
The lawsuit seeks to block the policies and require the district to comply with federal student privacy laws, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA).
"Schools should not discuss preferred pronouns or 'gender identity' with a student without parental notification and consent," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said.
Dhillon added, "Parents should not be lied to, stonewalled, or branded as 'safety concerns' when they ask to see the education records that reveal what schools are secretly doing to their children. This Department will end illegal school policies that keep parents in the dark."
According to the Justice Department, the district's policies direct staff to solicit, document, and act on students' self-identified names, pronouns, and gender identities without notifying parents.
Federal officials also allege the district designates gender identity information as confidential and instructs staff to withhold it from parents based on concerns that disclosure could pose a safety risk to students.
The lawsuit further alleges that Anne Arundel County Public Schools reports gender identity information to the Maryland State Department of Education without notifying parents or allowing them to challenge its accuracy.
The district came under scrutiny from the Trump administration after two families sued, alleging school staff helped a student transition at school while withholding information from the student's parents.
The complaint also describes the experience of an anonymous family whose members allegedly learned that school staff were helping their daughter present as male at school after receiving an email referring to her with male pronouns.
In August, Anne Arundel County Public Schools amended its gender identity policy after the Trump administration threatened legal action and the loss of federal funding.
Superintendent Dr. Mark Bedell said in a letter that the district was updating its policies concerning safe and inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ students and compliance with FERPA.
The amended policy clarifies that parents have the right to inspect and review their children's complete education records.
Bedell also said no policy can interfere with parents' rights to information about a student's gender identity, transgender status, sexual orientation, preferred name or pronouns.
Anne Arundel County Public Schools was notified of the lawsuit today by external counsel and is reviewing it closely," an Anne Arundel County schools spokesperson said about the lawsuit. "AACPS disagrees with the allegations and stands by its compliance with FERPA and PPRA. Moreover, the school system has been in regular contact with the Department of Justice in a good faith effort to resolve their concerns while adhering to our obligations to all students, parents and staff. It's regrettable that the Department chose to pursue litigation rather than continuing constructive dialogue. Because the case is now before a federal court, AACPS will address the claims in its court filings and will have no further comment at this time."
