#Trump administration targets #Maine again, this time on #transgender policy in schools
The U.S. #DepartmentOfEducation. which Trump wants to abolish, is investigating whether dozens of Maine school districts are violating or misusing federal privacy laws and infringing on parents’ rights.
by Eric Russell, March 28, 2025
"The Trump administration is once again targeting Maine over its policies on transgender youth.
"The U.S. Department of Education – an agency the president is trying to abolish – announced Friday it has initiated an investigation into Maine’s Department of Education over allegations that school districts in the state are violating the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act (#FERPA).
"Specifically, the federal agency says school districts are allowing officials to create 'gender plans' that support a transgender student’s identity but then not making those plans available to parents.
"A similar investigation was launched in #California this week.
[...]
"Schools in Maine have been caught in a legal gray area between respecting student privacy and parents’ rights to be informed when it comes to children’s expression of gender identity while at school. Many youth live in families whose members might not be supportive of their gender identity.
"The Trump administration already has been investigating Maine for allowing #TransgenderAthletes to compete, something that is allowed under the #MaineHumanRightsAct but defies an executive order the president signed in February. This month, the administration found that Maine violated the federal law known as #TitleIX and warned that if the state didn’t make changes, it would risk referral to the U.S. Department of Justice and the potential loss of tens of millions of dollars in federal funding.
"The announcement from the U.S. Department of Education this week also warns that if any Maine district is found in violation of the federal privacy act, it could lose federal funding. It’s unclear how that will play out, though, because Trump is trying to eliminate the education department at the federal level.
"A spokesperson for the Maine Department of Education did not immediately respond Friday to questions about the investigation. A spokesperson for the Maine Attorney General’s Office declined to comment.
"Trump and his supporters have elevated transgender rights as the biggest battle in the country’s culture war and believe their messaging is a political winner, even beyond traditional party lines.
"In addition to his executive order barring transgender girls or women from competing in athletics, Trump signed another that says the federal government would only recognize two genders, male and female, a move some advocates said was designed to erase transgender individuals from existence.
"Many states, Maine included, have strong protections for transgender individuals."
Archived version:
https://archive.md/b6gpf
#MainePol #USPol #MaineResists #ProtectTransYouth #TrumpIsABully #Education #Authoritarianism #Fascism #CharacteristicsOfFascism #TransRightsAreHumanRights
