3 MI School Districts Under Investigation Over Sex Ed, Ideology Content: Feds

Federal officials are looking into whether three Michigan school districts have included sexual orientation and gender ideology content in any class for K-12 students without parental consent.

The districts include the Detroit Public Schools Community District, Lansing School District and Godfrey-Lee Public Schools in the Grand Rapids area, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Officials said they are also looking into whether the districts "limit access to single-sex intimate spaces, such as bathrooms and locker rooms, based on biological sex."

"This Department of Justice is fiercely committed to ending the growing trend of local school authorities embedding sexuality and gender ideology in every aspect of public education," said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon. "Supreme Court precedent is clear: parents have the right to direct the religious upbringing of their children, which includes exempting them from ideological instruction which conflicts with their families’ sincerely held religious beliefs."

Federal officials said the districts have until April 6 to turn over all sex education and health education course material, including lesson plans and any complaints.

If the districts are teaching sexual orientation and gender ideology content without notifying parents of their right to opt their children out, then they could be found in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, federal officials said.

Federal officials also pointed to the Supreme Court's 2025 decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor, which determined that public schools can’t require students to learn about gender and sexuality without parental consent.

"Title IX demands that we guard the safety, dignity, and innocence of our youngest citizens — our children — by ensuring that they have unfettered access to bathrooms and locker rooms of their biological sex," Dhillon said.

Federal officials did not specifically point to any wrongdoing and noted that no conclusions about the subject matter have been reached.

Under current Michigan law, parents can opt their children out of any sex education lessons in public schools without penalty. Sex education courses are not required and are separate from health education courses required for graduation.