Federal Settlements to Protect Transgender Students Canceled

Trump administration reverses government position on Title IX protections

Apr. 7, 2026 at 4:40am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A dynamic, abstract painting of a school hallway with overlapping, fractured shapes in shades of blue, grey, and purple, conveying a sense of motion and change.The Trump administration's decision to cancel federal settlements protecting transgender students signals a concerning shift in the government's stance on LGBTQ+ rights in education.Washington Today

The Education Department announced it is canceling several civil rights agreements that required schools to take specific steps to protect transgender students, saying those deals were unlawful. The move reflects the administration's position that the federal ban on sex discrimination in education, Title IX, does not cover discrimination based on gender identity.

Why it matters

This action signals reduced federal protection for transgender students, with advocates saying it amounts to "bullying, harassment, and exclusion." The settlements being voided had required broad policy changes at schools to support and protect transgender youth.

The details

The settlements being canceled were with Taft College in California and five K-12 districts: Cape Henlopen (Delaware), Delaware Valley (Pennsylvania), Fife (Washington), La Mesa-Spring Valley (California), and Sacramento City Unified (California). A 2023 agreement with Taft College, for example, required the school to update its harassment policy to state that repeatedly refusing to use a student's chosen name and pronouns could amount to sex-based harassment.

  • The Education Department announced the cancelations on April 7, 2026.

The players

Kimberly Richey

The Education Department's assistant secretary for civil rights, who said the action reflects the administration's goals of keeping transgender students from participating in girls' and women's sports and accessing shared locker rooms.

Sydney Duncan

An advocate for Advocates for Trans Equity, who said "This isn't a restoration of 'common sense.' It is bullying, harassment, and exclusion."

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Today, the Trump Administration is removing the unnecessary and unlawful burdens that prior Administrations imposed on schools in its relentless pursuit of a radical transgender agenda.”

— Kimberly Richey, Education Department's assistant secretary for civil rights

“This isn't a restoration of 'common sense.' It is bullying, harassment, and exclusion.”

— Sydney Duncan, Advocate for Advocates for Trans Equity

The takeaway

This decision by the Trump administration represents a significant rollback of federal protections for transgender students, raising concerns among advocates about increased discrimination, harassment, and exclusion in schools across the country.