The U.S. Department of Education has opened an investigation into the Minnesota Department of Education following a complaint over the planned use of anatomically customizable dolls in classrooms.
The department announced July 29 that its Student Privacy Policy Office will examine whether Minnesota complied with the federal Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, commonly known as PPRA.
The investigation does not establish that Minnesota education officials violated federal law.
Defending Ed, an education advocacy organization, filed the complaint on behalf of Minnesota parents. According to the federal department, the parents alleged that schools failed to notify them or provide an opportunity to remove their children from an activity involving “transgender dolls.”
The complaint concerns products called “MyGenderDolls,” which reportedly will be available to Minnesota educators beginning this fall for use with children as young as four. The dolls have gender-neutral names, removable and interchangeable anatomical parts, and clothing traditionally associated with both sexes.
The dolls were developed through a taxpayer-supported University of Minnesota program, according to the Education Department. The department characterized the materials as sexually explicit and questioned whether exposing young children to them without parental knowledge could violate parents’ rights.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon sharply criticized Minnesota officials and said the administration would fully enforce federal parental-rights protections.
“No four-year-old should be exposed to such material — especially without a parent’s knowledge or consent,” McMahon said.
PPRA generally provides parents with notice and opt-out rights when federally funded schools administer surveys, evaluations or questionnaires seeking certain sensitive information from students. It also establishes parental rights related to some physical examinations and screenings and allows parents to inspect certain instructional materials.
A central question in the investigation could be whether the classroom activity described in the complaint falls within PPRA’s specific provisions governing protected surveys or instructional materials.
The Education Department said violations could place an educational institution’s federal funding at risk. No findings, penalties or funding decisions have been announced.
The investigation is part of a broader Trump administration initiative involving parental notification and schools’ handling of students’ gender identities. The department said additional enforcement actions would address allegations that some districts have assisted students with social gender transitions without informing their parents.
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