‘On notice’: DOJ signals more lawsuits could be coming after KCKPS secret gender transition lawsuit 

The Justice Department is putting schools across the country “on notice,” warning that a Kansas lawsuit over secretive student gender transitions is the first of others to come.

The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division filed the “first-of-its-kind” lawsuit Tuesday against Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, alleging it facilitated gender transitions for minors without parental consent, in violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment.

First-of-its-kind effort

“It is the first time the United States government has sued to vindicate parental rights that are protected by these federal statutes,” a Justice Department spokesperson told Heartlander News of the effort.

“Parents can’t do it themselves,” the spokesperson added, referring to a Supreme Court case, Gonzaga University v. Doe, finding there “is no private right of action for FERPA’s nondisclosure provisions.”

“The United States can do it,” the spokesperson said, referring to another Supreme Court case, United States v. Miami University, which held the “United States has the inherent power to sue to enforce FERPA’s conditions.”

The Justice Department’s complaint accuses the school district of maintaining policies “that direct staff to help students socially transition to a different gender at school and to withhold this information from parents as confidential,” which violates “FERPA’s guarantee that parents can see their children’s school records, seek correction of those records, and prevent disclosure of identifying information without consent.”

The complaint refers to “undated recordings” in which school officials appeared to deliberately restrict access to its transgender policies, as Heartlander News reported. In one recording, Assistant Superintendent of Organizational Development Canise Salinas described the district’s “transgender guideline” as being kept from the KCKPS community and controlled by “gatekeepers.” Another district employee, Lauren Hernandez, discussed how to support “students whose culture is against the LGBTQIA relationships,” including “asking a student about his willingness to share information with his father who is a preacher.”

Heartlander News first reported on a call in March 2025 in which Salinas and Hernandez discussed how to continue advancing LGBT and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives without drawing parental attention.

KCKPS has been subject to national backlash in the months since, and in July, the Justice Department gave the district 14 days to end its secret transgender policies or face a lawsuit.

‘First of many’

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division indicated more school districts across the country are already under scrutiny.

“What we do is we ask for documents, we investigate and then we try to resolve cases with school districts. And if we cannot, then we file lawsuits,” she told Fox News Digital. “And, so, there are many other lawsuits contemplated here and other investigations that are ongoing.”

Dhillon added that the Justice Department will not tolerate “this type of secretive social engineering,” which federal law prohibits.

“I want there to be a very clear message to every school district in the United States, they are on notice, that if they violate FERPA and PPRA, the United States Department of Justice stands ready to protect the rights of parents and the rights of pupils to privacy, dignity, and parental rights in determining how children are educated in the United States,” she said.

“This is a really important lawsuit for us,” Dhillon said. “And the point I wanted to emphasize is that it’s the first of many.”

KCKPS, in a statement shared with media outlets, maintained that it is in “full compliance” with federal law and “is disappointed by the DOJ’s decision to file the lawsuit.”

“Because this matter is now pending in federal court, the district will respond to the Complaint through the appropriate legal process,” the district said, “and will not make any further comment at this time.”

(Image credit: Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, Screenshot/X/@AAGDhillon)