by WorldTribune Staff, August 6, 2026 Non-AI Real World News
The Trump Administration has ordered a Maryland school district to rescind its policy in which schools can allow students to transition genders without informing their parents.
In a letter to Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS), Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon warned that failure to comply with the order could result in a federal lawsuit and the potential loss of federal funding. Dhillon gave the school district seven days to respond.
Dhillon states in the letter that the district’s gender identity confidentiality policy violates the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) by denying parents access to their children’s educational records.
“Comply with the law or face us in court,” Dhillon wrote.
“By categorically withholding information about a student’s gender identity from parents except where legally required, AACPS appears to have adopted a blanket, district-wide practice of nondisclosure untethered to FERPA’s enumerated exceptions,” Dhillon wrote, adding that parents were denied access to their children’s complete educational records, that information was disclosed without parental consent, and that parents were denied hearings to correct those records.
According to the Department of Education, investigators received complaints from Maryland parents alleging the district “was secretly helping their daughter pretend to be male at school” while refusing to provide parents with information when they confronted school officials.
Under Anne Arundel’s current policy, students may request different names and pronouns at school without parental approval.
The district instructs staff to involve parents in developing a support plan unless there is what it describes as a “genuine safety concern” for the student’s physical, emotional, or mental well-being.
The policy also classifies information relating to a student’s gender identity as confidential medical information, limiting disclosure to parents except where legally required.
“School districts that hide information from parents are violating federal law,” Dhillon said. “FERPA is not optional, and any districts that attempt to bypass or distort its requirements should expect immediate federal action.”
