Feds Probe New Hampshire School District Over Alleged Discrimination Against Girls

The Trump administration opened an investigation into a school district's policies allowing access to intimate spaces based on 'gender identity' rather than biological sex.

Apr. 1, 2026 at 2:08pm

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The Trump administration has opened an investigation into the Contoocook Valley School District in New Hampshire following a complaint alleging the district maintains policies that discriminate against biological girls by allowing access to bathrooms and locker rooms based on 'gender identity' rather than biological sex. The Department of Education said the district's policies force girls to move out of their own intimate spaces when a male is present, which it called 'not just absurd, it also discriminates against girls'.

Why it matters

This case highlights the ongoing debate over transgender rights and access to intimate school spaces, with the Trump administration siding with parental rights groups who argue that biological girls should not be forced to share private facilities with biological males. The investigation could set a precedent for how federal civil rights law is interpreted and enforced in schools across the country.

The details

The complaint, filed by parental rights group Defending Education (DE) in August 2025, alleges that the Contoocook Valley School District maintains a policy allowing access to intimate spaces such as bathrooms and locker rooms based on 'gender identity' rather than biological sex. The complaint further notes that 'discrimination based on sex is also notably absent' from the district's non-discrimination policy. District officials allegedly told female students that they would have to find another space to use if they are uncomfortable with boys in their spaces.

  • The Trump administration opened the investigation on Tuesday, April 1, 2026.
  • The complaint was filed by Defending Education in August 2025.

The players

Contoocook Valley School District

A school district in New Hampshire that is the subject of a federal investigation over its policies allowing access to intimate spaces based on 'gender identity' rather than biological sex.

Defending Education (DE)

A parental rights group that filed a complaint against the Contoocook Valley School District in August 2025 over its policies.

Kimberly Richey

The assistant secretary for civil rights at the Department of Education, who announced the investigation into the school district.

Sarah Parshall Perry

The vice president and legal fellow at Defending Education, who said the group is 'gratified that ConVal will now have to answer for its obvious ignorance of the Constitution's Supremacy Clause'.

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What they’re saying

“Young women should never feel unsafe or uncomfortable in their intimate spaces because their school leaders care more about gender ideology than protecting girls' dignity and privacy. Placing the burden on girls to move out of their own intimate spaces when there is a male present is not just absurd, it also discriminates against girls. The Trump Administration will always stand up for these students, investigate disturbing complaints such as this fully, and enforce Title IX to ensure that women and girls are safe when they are at school.”

— Kimberly Richey, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Department of Education

“Across the country, recalcitrant blue states are playing a waiting game with the Administration on the enforcement of civil rights law according to its plain text and longstanding history. ConVal School District is one of those federal funding recipients now in a standoff with the Department of Education. Openly professing to the adherence to contrary state anti-discrimination law on gender identity to flout federal directives on sex equality in education under Title IX has drawn the interest of the Department and we are gratified that ConVal will now have to answer for its obvious ignorance of the Constitution's Supremacy Clause.”

— Sarah Parshall Perry, Vice President and Legal Fellow, Defending Education

What’s next

The Department of Education will continue its investigation into the Contoocook Valley School District's policies and determine if they violate federal civil rights law under Title IX.

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing national debate over transgender rights and access to intimate school spaces, with the Trump administration siding with parental rights groups who argue that biological girls should not be forced to share private facilities with biological males. The outcome of the federal investigation could set an important precedent for how these issues are addressed in schools across the country.