The U.S. Department of Justice has sued Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, alleging the district violated federal parental-rights laws by allowing staff to support students’ gender-identity changes without notifying or obtaining consent from their parents.
The lawsuit was filed Sept. 1 by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas. It asks a federal court to prohibit the district from enforcing its internal guidance for transgender and gender-nonconforming students and seeks other relief considered appropriate by the court.
The dispute involves guidance addressing students’ preferred names, pronouns and gender presentation at school. It does not concern schools providing medical treatment or medication.
According to the Justice Department, the district’s guidelines allow employees to develop and carry out student “transitioning” plans without parental knowledge or approval.
The department alleges that those practices violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, commonly known as FERPA, and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment.
FERPA generally gives parents the right to inspect and review education records maintained by schools receiving federal funding. The Justice Department contends the district’s practices effectively prevent some parents from accessing records concerning their children’s gender identity.
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The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment requires written parental consent in certain circumstances before schools require students to participate in surveys, analyses or evaluations that disclose specified categories of sensitive information. The government alleges that the district’s practices also violate those protections.
The district disputes the federal government’s claims and says it complies with applicable law. Its guidance encourages students to involve their parents but allows requests to withhold gender-identity information to be reviewed individually, according to reporting by The Associated Press. The district declined additional comment because of the pending litigation.
“Parental rights are paramount in the operation of America’s public schools, and Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools does not know children better than their own parents,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said in announcing the lawsuit.
U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser said withholding information from parents undermines trust between families and public schools.
The case follows an Education Department investigation launched in 2025 after Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach raised concerns about policies in four school systems: Kansas City, Kansas; Topeka; Olathe; and Shawnee Mission.
The Education Department announced in April 2026 that it had determined the districts’ policies violated FERPA. Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools subsequently declined to enter a voluntary resolution agreement proposed by federal officials, leading the matter to be referred for enforcement.
Topeka Public Schools reached an agreement with the federal government that included ending gender-support plans and providing parents access to related student records. Federal officials have also pursued enforcement proceedings involving the Olathe and Shawnee Mission districts, according to the Education Department.
The Kansas City lawsuit represents the Trump administration’s first court action seeking to use FERPA in this manner. No court has yet determined that the district violated either federal statute.
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