Federal actions against KCKPS follow GOP gubernatorial candidate Masterson’s letter   

The federal government is escalating enforcement against Kansas City Kansas Public Schools (KCKPS) over parental-rights violations after Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson demanded accountability from the district.

Masterson, 56, entered the 2026 Kansas governor’s race last year seeking the Republican nomination, receiving a boost last week through an endorsement from President Donald Trump.

Heartlander News first identified the abuses at KCKPS in March 2025 when it obtained a recording of a call attended by at least three representatives of the National Education Association (NEA) and Kansas City Kansas NEA President Dominick DeRosa.

The meeting of district staff and others focused on how to continue LGBT advocacy after the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) department at KCKPS was rebranded as “Organizational Development.”

Masterson called for an investigation into district practices involving transgender students and whether parents were being kept informed, The Kansas City Star reported June 30.

The Star also reported criticism from district parents who viewed Masterson’s action as an overreaction or politically motivated.

Masterson rejected that framing.

“Parents, not bureaucrats, raise their children,” he said in a statement. “These officials got caught on camera plotting to deceive moms and dads about their own kids. It’s deceitful, it may be illegal and it demands a look.”

Garrett Henson, communications director for Masterson’s Senate office, acknowledged an inquiry by Heartlander News but did not respond to requests for comment on the federal enforcement action or criticism of Masterson’s letter to KCKPS.

US Department of Education acts against KCKPS 

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced June 30 that it was partnering with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to enforce parental-rights laws against KCKPS after federal officials found the district violated the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

The department said it found in April that KCKPS maintained policies preventing school personnel from disclosing information that could reveal a student’s transgender status or “gender nonconforming presentation” to others, including parents.

The department also said the DOJ will now work with education officials to bring KCKPS into compliance.

In the footage obtained by Heartlander News, one participant asked, “Where can we sneak things in?” while participants discussed how certain initiatives could continue after DEI had become politically unpopular or legally risky.

Months later, the footage resurfaced online and was shared widely by Libs of TikTok, which credited Kansas pastor Kelly Lohrke.

The latest videos revealed disturbing new details, including allegations by a former KCKPS student who said he was sexually assaulted in elementary school and that teachers and the principal responded by asking him not to tell his parents.

Masterson sent a letter demanding answers from the district following up on the latest videos.

The district, in turn, defended itself.

“KCKPS continues to act in good faith and in full compliance with all applicable federal and state laws,” it said in a statement. “The district remains committed to fostering a safe and supportive learning environment where every student can thrive.”

But federal officials have taken a sharply different view.

The Education Department said four Kansas districts, including KCKPS, had policies violating FERPA.

The policies could prevent schools from notifying parents when students use different pronouns, go by different names or have different names printed on diplomas, officials said.

The department also said KCKPS and Topeka Public Schools violated Title IX by allowing biological males to use female restrooms, locker rooms and changing rooms based on gender identity.

“The efforts of Kansas City Kansas Public Schools to block parents from information about their children’s health and well-being are reprehensible,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice will pursue all available avenues to force Kansas City’s compliance with federal law and our Constitution.”

Education officials said FERPA violations can ultimately result in the termination of federal funding if a resolution with the federal government isn’t reached.

“If any of the districts fail to reach an agreement, the department may initiate enforcement action, which could ultimately lead to the termination of federal funding through administrative or judicial proceedings,” the ED said.

Critics portrayed the Senate president’s letter as part of a broader Republican campaign against transgender students, a campaign they said is “devastating, even deadly.”

“That’s the nitroglycerine that Masterson is playing around with,” Opinion Editor Dion Lefler of the Wichita Eagle wrote. “I say this knowing full well that this will make Masterson more popular in some quarters.”

But the federal government’s own findings place KCKPS under renewed federal pressure, undercutting the argument that Masterson’s concerns were merely political.

“Kansas City Kansas Public Schools’ sustained efforts to sidestep FERPA, conceal its true policies and obstruct parents’ lawful access to their children’s education records represent a serious and deliberate breach of federal law,” said Student Privacy Policy Office Director Frank Miller of the ED.