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Trump administration ends agreements to protect transgender students in several schools

Published  April 6, 2026 4:14pm MST
Education
FOX Local
article

FILE - The US Department of Education building is seen in Washington, DC, Feb. 13, 2025. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

The Brief

    • The Education Department canceled civil rights agreements requiring schools to protect transgender students’ rights, including pronoun use and bathroom access.
    • The move affects several districts and a college, with at least one already rolling back protections in response.
    • It marks a shift away from prior interpretations of Title IX that included protections for transgender students.

The Trump administration is terminating agreements at five school districts and a college to uphold protections for transgender students. 

Big picture view:

The latest decision from the Education Department removes any federal obligations for schools to keep up measures such as faculty training on abiding by a student’s preferred name and pronouns and allowing students to use bathrooms that align with their gender identity. 

Dig deeper:

The school systems that are impacted by the terminated agreements include: 

  • Delaware Valley School District in rural eastern Pennsylvania
  • Cape Henlopen School District in Delaware
  • Fife School District in Washington
  • La Mesa-Spring Valley School District in Sacramento City Unified
  • Taft College in California

The backstory:

Under the Biden and Obama administrations, the department interpreted Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in education, to include protections for transgender and gay students. 

The other side:

Rescinding the agreement would likely mean taking a step back from protecting vulnerable students in schools, Shiwali Patel, senior director of education justice at the National Women’s Law Center, told The Associated Press. 

What they're saying:

"This is part of the Trump administration’s assault on education and assault on those who are most vulnerable to experiencing discrimination and harassment, including trans students," Patel said. "They’ve made their intention very clear in wanting to erase protections for trans people."

The Source: Information for this article was taken from The Associated Press. 

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