The US Department of Education has terminated civil rights agreements with five school districts and one college, effectively removing federal requirements for them to uphold specific protections for transgender students. The move represents a significant shift from the policies of the Biden and Obama administrations, which interpreted Title IX's prohibition on sex discrimination to include gender identity.
The decision relieves the affected institutions of obligations such as training staff to use students' preferred names and pronouns and allowing students access to bathrooms matching their gender identity. The districts involved are Delaware Valley in Pennsylvania, Sacramento City Unified in California, Cape Henlopen in Delaware, Fife in Washington, and La Mesa-Spring Valley in California, alongside Taft College in California.
In a written statement, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey framed the action as removing "unnecessary and unlawful burdens" imposed by prior administrations in pursuit of a "radical transgender agenda." She stated it aligns with the administration's broader efforts to prevent transgender students from participating on single-sex sports teams and accessing corresponding shared facilities.
The rescission has had immediate effects. The Delaware Valley School District, which received notice in February, subsequently voted to roll back its anti-discrimination protections for transgender students. Conversely, Sacramento City Unified stated it "remains committed to the support of our LGBTQ+ students and staff."
Critics condemn the move as an attack on vulnerable students. Shiwali Patel of the National Women’s Law Centre said, "This is part of the administration's assault on education and assault on those who are most vulnerable... They’ve made their intention very clear in wanting to erase protections for trans people."
The terminated agreements were originally settlements resolving discrimination complaints. For instance, Taft College's 2023 agreement required faculty training after a complaint about pronoun refusal. Sacramento's 2024 agreement mandated staff training following an incident where a teacher refused to use a transgender student's preferred pronouns.
This action continues a pattern for the administration, which has previously terminated similar civil rights agreements. It also forms part of a wider policy agenda targeting transgender rights beyond education, including restrictions on transgender athletes, passport gender markers, and gender-affirming healthcare for minors.
