Trump administration finds California's ban on 'forced outing' of students violates federal law

Source: msn/Politico

11h


The Trump administration announced Wednesday that a California policy allowing school districts to withhold information from parents about their child’s gender identity violates federal law.

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said a federal investigation determined state officials "egregiously abused” their authority by pressuring local districts to keep quiet about transgender students. “Children do not belong to the State—they belong to families,” McMahon said in a statement. “We will use every available mechanism to hold California accountable for these practices and restore parental rights.”

Liz Sanders, a spokesperson for the state’s Department of Education, said in a statement that the department was reviewing McMahon’s letter but added that “we do believe that we have addressed the essence of this letter in previous communications.” In a letter sent in October last year, state education officials informed school districts that the state’s policy “does not mandate nondisclosure.”

The findings of the federal probe could put at risk the nearly $8 billion in education funding the state receives each year from the federal government if the state does not work with federal officials to resolve the violations.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/trump-administration-finds-california-s-ban-on-forced-outing-of-students-violates-federal-law/ar-AA1Vc6DI