DOJ lawsuit targets alleged school ‘secret gender transitions’ policies that keep parents in the dark

By Fox News · Fox News

The Department of Justice ( DOJ ) is investigating other school districts and contemplating additional lawsuits over alleged violations of federal parental rights laws, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon told Fox News Digital Tuesday, calling the DOJ's newly filed "first-of-its-kind" case against Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools the "first of many." The DOJ sued Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools (KCKPS) Tuesday, alleging the district violated the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) with a district policy that facilitates "secret gender transitions" for students at school without their parents’ knowledge or consent. "No, we're not waiting. What we do is we ask for documents, we investigate and then we try to resolve cases with school districts. And if we cannot, then we file lawsuits. And, so, there are many other lawsuits contemplated here and other investigations that are ongoing," Dhillon said when asked whether DOJ would wait for the Kansas case to conclude before pursuing other districts. Dhillon declined to identify the other districts under investigation, saying she did not want to prejudge the outcomes. EXCLUSIVE: HOUSE COMMITTEE PROBES CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS OVER HIDING 'GENDER AFFIRMATION' FROM PARENTS "This is a really important lawsuit for us. And the point I wanted to emphasize is that it's the first of many," she said. The DOJ lawsuit against KCKPS centers on internal guidance for transgender and gender non-conforming students. The DOJ alleges the district has used versions of the guidance since 2017. Under the guidance described in the complaint, students can ask that their parents be excluded from school planning meetings and that their transgender or gender non-conforming status not be disclosed to their parents. The resulting written plans can address names, pronouns, school records, restroom and locker room use, sports and other accommodations. Asked about KCKPS’ assertio…