The Trump administration has reached an agreement with a Kansas school district requiring it to end policies that allowed staff to hide students’ gender transitions from their parents.
The Department of Education announced that Topeka Public Schools will no longer be permitted to create secret “gender support plans” for students. Existing plans must now be disclosed to parents.
The department said previous district policies allowed students to use different names and pronouns at school without parents being informed, even when parents specifically requested access to their children’s educational records.
The administration determined that such policies violated the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which guarantees parents access to their children’s school records.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon has made parental rights a priority, warning schools earlier this year that parents are the “primary protectors of their children” and must not be deliberately excluded from major decisions affecting them.
Federal officials previously identified four Kansas districts with policies allowing schools to conceal students’ gender identities from parents. The Department of Education also raised Title IX concerns over policies permitting biological males to enter female restrooms and locker rooms or participate in girls’ sports.
While Topeka has now agreed to comply, the Olathe and Shawnee Mission school districts have reportedly refused, prompting the administration to threaten further enforcement action, including the possible loss of federal funding.
Similar disputes are unfolding nationwide as parents challenge schools that facilitate gender transitions without their knowledge.
For the Trump administration, the Kansas agreement represents a model for restoring transparency in public education and reaffirming that parents—not school officials—have primary authority over major decisions involving their children.
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