The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights (OCR) and Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO) launched an investigation into four Kansas school districts.

Kansas

The U.S. Department of Education has launched investigations into four Kansas school districts, including three in the Kansas City metropolitan area, following complaints from the Defense of Freedom Institute and a letter from the Kansas Attorney General. The complaints allege that the districts violated Title IX and federal education privacy laws by permitting students to use bathrooms matching their gender identity and allowing them to choose preferred pronouns without parental notification.

The Shawnee Mission school district stated it is unaware of any student or parent complaints regarding Title IX violations. Olathe and Kansas City, Kansas, public school districts also reported no specific incidents identified by the administration. The investigation follows an ongoing lawsuit involving a teacher disciplined over pronoun use and DEI training, with officials emphasizing adherence to state and federal laws.

Kansas school districts under investigation for Title IX violations

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Education announced it's investigating four Kansas school districts, three of them right here in the Kansas City metro. It's based on a complaint by an organization, a letter from the Kansas Attorney General, claiming a violation of federal education privacy laws and Title IX. A complaint filed by the Defense of Freedom Institute. Its website says it's a non-profit providing thoughtful, conservative solutions to education. It claims alleged violations by Olathe, Shawnee Mission, KCK, and Topeka school districts, stating that the districts allow students to use opposite-sex bathrooms, and permits students to choose their preferred pronouns without parental consent or notification. These claims are just noise. Christy Moreno is a student and teacher rights advocate for folks across the metro. Kansas Attorney General Chris Kobach urged the investigation in a June letter. Legislators, Department of Education really needs to focus on what matters, and that is the academic and educational outcomes of our kids. The complaint cites an ongoing lawsuit filed by a Shawnee Mission teacher. She claims she was disciplined for denying DEI training and referring to a student by their biological sex rather than their preferred pronouns. In the district's policies, the lawsuit claims that the district prevents school officials from sharing a student's preferred gender identity to their parents without student consent. What's your response to that? We believe that any positive experience for students, anything that is going to impact their well-being and their learning, it needs to be supported. In a statement, the Shawnee Mission school district says it's unaware of any complaint filed by a student or parent that has violated Title IX. Both the Olathe and KCK public school districts also said in a statement that there are no specific incidents that have been identified to administration that were outlined in the letter. Both districts remain steadfast in following state and federal laws. And both Kobach and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon tout the Trump administration's efforts to uphold Title IX statutory integrity, continuing to protect Kansas' youth and parents' constitutional rights. Understandable that some parents may have some worries. Talk to your kids. Those are conversations we need to have at home. I've reached out to the attorneys in the lawsuit, DFI, and the Attorney General for comment. In the newsroom, Ryan Gamboa, KSHB 41 News.

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