The Justice Department sued Maryland’s Anne Arundel County school board Tuesday, alleging its gender identity policies unlawfully exclude parents from information about their children and restrict access to education records.
The complaint, filed Oct. 27 in U.S. District Court in Maryland, seeks to stop enforcement of policies the government says violate two federal student privacy laws.
Its eight counts concern access to records, opportunities to challenge their contents, disclosures of student information and parental rights when schools collect sensitive information from children.
Federal attorneys allege Anne Arundel County Public Schools directs staff to collect and use students’ preferred names, pronouns and gender identity information without parental notice or consent.
The complaint quotes a district regulation directing staff to work with students and parents on support plans unless a principal or designee identifies a genuine concern about the student’s physical, emotional or mental health safety. The government argues that exception allows officials to exclude parents without a way to challenge the decision.
The allegations have not been independently verified. The supplied materials include no district response to the lawsuit, though the complaint documents earlier policy changes and statements affirming parents’ access to records.
On Aug. 18, the school board amended its regulation to state that nothing in it should interfere with parental rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, known as FERPA. That includes the right to inspect a student’s complete education record.
Superintendent Mark T. Bedell told families the next day that those rights cover records involving gender identity, transgender status, sexual orientation, preferred names and preferred pronouns, according to the filing.
The government argues the amendments do not adequately protect parents’ rights. It alleges the gender policies still lack procedures for challenging disputed information, obtaining hearings or adding a parent’s explanation to a child’s records.
“Schools should not discuss preferred pronouns or ‘gender identity’ with a student without parental notification and consent,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said in the Justice Department’s announcement.
The complaint draws partly on declarations from parents identified as John and Jane Doe in a separate lawsuit filed in July. Their child, identified as Mary Doe, began her senior year at a district high school this fall.
According to the filing, the parents received a classroom email in December 2025 referring to their daughter by a male name. A staff member initially gave false explanations, then acknowledged that the student had requested that name.
The government alleges the staff member had asked students individually about preferred names and held separate conversations about pronouns without involving parents. When the Does requested details and records, the staff member referred them to administrators.
An assistant principal declined to produce the requested records and said district policy required staff to honor the student’s preference, according to the complaint.
In May, a field-trip roster emailed to other parents listed the same male name alongside the family’s surname, the filing says. The government alleges that sharing the roster disclosed private student information without parental consent.
The parents renewed their requests for records concerning their child’s name, pronouns and gender identity.
According to the complaint, a principal told them in June that their daughter’s official student records still showed her legal name. The principal offered an appointment to inspect education records but said internal emails, personal notes and other staff communications required legal process, including a subpoena where applicable.
Federal attorneys argue that communications shared among staff or maintained in district systems do not qualify for FERPA’s exclusion for notes kept solely by their author as a personal memory aid.
The lawsuit also alleges the district improperly shares student gender information with the Maryland State Department of Education without parental consent.
Two counts invoke the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, or PPRA. The government argues that questioning used to develop gender identity support plans involves protected personal information and requires written parental consent or advance notice and an opportunity to opt out, as applicable.
According to the filing, the Education Department found the district out of substantial compliance with FERPA in July and PPRA in September. The Justice Department sent compliance demands after each determination.
The lawsuit asks the court to halt policies that violate either law, require opportunities for parents to inspect and challenge records, and enforce applicable consent, notification and opt-out requirements.
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