Education Dept. to Pull Out of Civil Rights Settlements for Trans Students

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/04/06/us/trump-news

Transgender Issues: The Trump administration is said to be taking the highly unusual step of terminating multiple civil rights settlements aimed at ensuring transgender students’ rights to equal opportunity to an education. The terminations of prior settlements with schools — for which Education Department officials said there was no precedent — are an escalation of President Trump’s push to recognize only a person’s sex assigned at birth.

The Trump administration on Monday terminated multiple civil rights settlements aimed at ensuring transgender students’ rights to equal opportunity to an education, forcing school officials to choose whether to comply with the government’s interpretation of federal anti-discrimination laws or to abide by conflicting state statutes.

The terminations are an escalation of the administration’s efforts to enforce President Trump’s executive order that the government recognize only a person’s sex assigned at birth.

The actions show how the administration’s campaign to erase diversity, equity and inclusion policies has sharpened to root out specific civil rights protections, particularly for students participating in school programs or activities based on their gender identity instead of their biological sex.

The Trump administration has opened at least 40 civil rights investigations into educational institutions that provide protections for transgender students. It has also sued state education departments and high school athletic associations in California and Minnesota over policies that permit transgender athletes to participate in school sports. A total of 27 states have restricted the participation of transgender athletes in school sports.