On October 27, 2026, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division filed a 31-page complaint in U.S. District Court in Maryland against the Anne Arundel County Board of Education, charging it with “facilitating the secret 'transitioning' of children's 'gender identity' at school without their parents' knowledge or consent,” Maryland Matters reported. The suit alleges violations of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA).
It seeks to block the district's “Safe and Inclusive Environments for LGBTQ+ Students” policy, to let parents review and challenge their children's records, and to require written parental consent before students answer surveys touching on subjects such as political affiliation, sexual behavior or religious practice. The complaint centers on parents identified as John and Jane Doe, practicing Christians, who learned by accident that staff were calling their daughter, a high school senior, by a male name at her request. America First Legal filed a separate suit on July 8 on behalf of parents also identified as John and Jane Doe.
The district had already changed course. The Education Department's Student Privacy Policy Office and the Justice Department announced enforcement action on July 27, and on August 19 Superintendent Mark Bedell wrote that the policy had been amended: “Nothing in this regulation shall be construed to limit or otherwise interfere with parents'/guardians' rights under FERPA, including the right to inspect and review their student's complete education record.” CBS Baltimore reported the change came after the administration threatened legal action and the loss of federal funding.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said, “Parents should not be lied to, stonewalled, or branded as 'safety concerns' when they ask to see the education records that reveal what schools are secretly doing to their children.” District spokesperson Bob Mosier said, “AACPS disagrees with the allegations and stands by its compliance with FERPA and PPRA,” and called it “regrettable that the Department chose to pursue litigation rather than continuing constructive dialogue.” The “secret transitioning” framing is the department's allegation and has not been tested in court. For the department's parallel inquiry in Illinois, see Trump's DOJ Opens Investigations Into 36 Illinois School Districts on Whether They Let Parents Opt Out of LGBTQ Instruction.