The U.S. Department of Education said a California policy allowing school districts to keep students' gender transition from their parents violates federal law. (Getty Images)
California Department of Education spokesperson Liz Sanders said in a statement to Politico that the department was reviewing the letter sent by McMahon but that "we do believe that we have addressed the essence of this letter in previous communications."
State education officials told school districts in October that the state's policy "does not mandate nondisclosure."
The findings of the federal investigation could put at risk the nearly $8 billion in education funding the federal government gives the state each year if state officials do not work with the Trump administration to resolve the violations.
To resolve the violations, the federal government said California can take several actions, including issuing a notice to all superintendents and administrators that "gender support plans" or other related documentation directly related to a student are considered education records and are subject to parental inspection upon request and notifying superintendents and administrators that state laws should not be interpreted to undermine or contradict federal law.
School districts would need to affirm that they are complying with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a federal law that gives parents the right to inspect their children’s records, while the state must add content approved by the federal government to its LGBTQ+ cultural competency training.
The state policy, AB 1955, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2024, banned the parental notification of transgender and gay students' gender identity or sexual orientation without the student's consent.
The state policy, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2024, banned the parental notification of transgender and gay students' gender identity or sexual orientation. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
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A federal judge ruled last month that schools cannot prevent teachers from sharing information about a student’s gender identity with their parents, but an appeals court blocked that ruling earlier this month. A group of California parents who brought the case are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate the earlier decision.
The Trump administration is also pursuing legal action against California and threatening to withhold funding over a policy allowing biological males to compete in girls’ sports.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-admin-finds-california-ban-notifying-parents-gender-transitions-violated-federal-law