Overview
- The Departments of Education and Justice announced an enforcement action, disclosed Monday, accusing Los Angeles Unified of policies that direct staff to keep a student’s asserted gender identity confidential from parents.
- The agencies invoked FERPA and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, saying parents must be allowed to inspect certain education records and that covered mental-health screenings require prior written parental consent rather than mere opt-outs.
- LAUSD responded that it has not been formally notified of a new filing and said the district complies with state and federal law, rejecting the allegation of wrongdoing.
- The federal release included a letter to state attorneys general urging them to enforce the administration’s interpretation of parental-access rules, a move that could prompt similar inquiries in other districts.
- The dispute raises immediate stakes for students and families over confidentiality for transgender and gender-nonconforming students and could threaten more than $1 billion in annual federal funding to LAUSD if violations are found.