DOJ sues Kansas school district over policy allowing students to hide gender ‘transitions’ from parents

The Department of Justice (DOJ) sued Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools (KCKPS) Sept. 1, accusing the district of violating federal law by allowing students to socially “transition” at school without their parents’ knowledge or consent. 

“Parental rights are paramount in the operation of America’s public schools, and Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools does not know children better than their own parents,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of DOJ’s Civil Rights Division said in a press release. “The Department will not tolerate school districts playing fast and loose with federal law in the service of radical gender ideology.”

The lawsuit, filed by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. attorney for the District of Kansas, challenges the district’s internal guidelines for “transgender and gender non-conforming” students.

According to the 16-page complaint, the district’s current guidelines allow students to request that their parents be excluded from meetings in which school officials develop individualized plans involving preferred names, pronouns, school records, restroom and locker-room use, field trips, sports, and other accommodations.

The guidelines also allow a student to request that his or her “transgender or gender non-conforming status” not be disclosed to parents. According to the suit, if the district grants that request, officials may create, maintain, and implement a written plan without providing the parents with a copy.

The DOJ argued that the guidelines violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which generally gives parents the right to inspect and review their minor children’s education records, and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), which places restrictions on schools collecting certain sensitive information from students without parental consent. 

In August 2025, the Department of Education opened an investigation into the district’s policies. Education Secretary Linda McMahon determined in July 2026 that the district was not complying with FERPA and reached a similar determination under PPRA in August, according to the complaint.

The lawsuit seeks a court declaration that the district violated both laws and an injunction ordering the district — which the complaint says received more than $69 million in federal funding during the 2024-2025 school year — to stop enforcing the guidelines.

In a Sept. 1 statement, KCKPS argued it is in full compliance with federal regulations.

“Contrary to the allegations in the Complaint, the district maintains that it is in full compliance with FERPA and PPRA and is disappointed by the DOJ’s decision to file the lawsuit,” the district said in a statement reported by KCTV. “Because this matter is now pending in federal court, the district will respond to the Complaint through the appropriate legal process and will not make any further comment at this time.”

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in the release that for decades, schools had “operated with little accountability as federal parental rights laws like FERPA and PPRA went unenforced.” 

“That era is over,” she added. “The Trump Administration is enforcing these laws at an unprecedented scale and making clear that schools cannot hide sensitive information from parents and expect to operate with impunity.”