The Department of Education says it will step up efforts to reduce federal bureaucracy and strengthen parental rights, including investigations into school districts accused of keeping parents in the dark about students’ gender transitions.
“The Department will double down on its efforts to restore parental rights, return education to the states, and open more higher education pathways for students,” a department spokesperson said.
The announcement followed Democratic wins in last week’s midterm elections. Several races in traditionally Republican areas were unexpectedly close, and some districts shifted to Democratic control.
The results could put major Republican education policies at risk. Republican-led states have adopted universal school-choice and parental-rights measures in recent years, as debates over education intensified and enrollment in some large public school systems declined after the pandemic.
In Texas, Democratic governor-elect Gina Hinojosa has indicated she wants to roll back the expansion of school choice.
“This is a victory for the parents of Texas. We are taking our children’s education back from a government that has failed them,” Hinojosa said in her victory speech.
She added that schools would not be closed or stripped of control, and said the state’s children would not lose access to their schools.
Urban school districts are also dealing with changing enrollment. The Houston Independent School District board previously voted unanimously to close 12 campuses, pointing to falling student numbers and the state’s expanding voucher program.
“On day one, I will fire [Texas Education Agency Commissioner] Mike Morath, and we will work tirelessly to repair the damage of the Texas voucher scam, and end an era in which our schools are sold for parts,” Hinojosa said.
School-choice and voucher programs face a more uncertain future after Democrats won elections in Iowa, Georgia and Nevada.
The Education Department says it plans to reinforce protections at the federal level as it pursues President Donald Trump’s campaign priorities, including holding districts accountable over policies related to students’ gender transitions.
“The Department will take action to protect parental rights with multiple investigations into schools allegedly hiding students’ ‘gender transitions’ from parents,” the spokesperson said. “Parents must have access to the most sensitive information about their child’s well-being — and schools cannot stand in the way.”
The spokesperson added that the department would work with the Justice Department to hold states and school districts accountable for alleged violations of parental rights.
In July, the Trump administration expanded its efforts concerning gender-identity policies in public elementary and secondary schools. On National Parents’ Day, the Education Department and Justice Department began enforcement actions against two districts accused of violating the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Federal officials warned that withholding information from parents about a child’s gender transition could result in federal funding being withheld.
The department also reiterated its goal of shifting oversight back to state and local authorities.
“The Department will issue two ‘Returning Education to the States’ waivers, which will allow state leaders to focus federal dollars on work that best improves the achievement of their students, not bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.,” the spokesperson said.
On higher education, the department said admissions should be based strictly on merit. It plans to investigate credible reports that universities with education programs denied recruitment or financial-support opportunities to candidates solely because of race.
Hinojosa’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
