Education Secretary Linda McMahon dispatched a letter to the school on Friday addressed “dear colleagues.”
This correspondence is a result of an investigation by the Department of Education in California and Maine regarding a policy that mandates federal agencies to keep track of students’ gender identity from records that may breach the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
FERPA grants parents the authority to access all educational records of their children.
“Parents naturally serve as the principal guardians of their children; however, numerous states and school districts have implemented policies suggesting that students should shield their parents,” McMahon stated.
“These states and districts are leaning towards a privacy concept that upholds governmental privileges concerning parental rights and family welfare.
A “dear colleague” notification from the Student Privacy Policy Office also highlights “priority concerns” that the office is actively working to resolve.
Issues raised involve schools purportedly having policies that prevent parents from reviewing a “gender plan” to aid transgender students, alongside districts where parents report not being informed of their rights under FERPA annually.
The letters and investigations regarding FERPA in Maine and California emerge as the Trump administration has enacted policies impacting transgender students and athletes.
The president issued an executive order prohibiting transgender athletes from competing on their preferred sports teams. Additionally, funding has been halted at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) and the University of Maine for purported transgressions of this order.
Both institutions assert they are adhering to NCAA regulations that changed the rules for transgender athletes following President Trump’s directive.
The investigation was triggered by Republican outrage concerning a swimming dispute involving transgender students in 2022. The University of Maine’s inquiry commenced after Trump and the Maine governor sought clarification on his directives.
