The U.S. Department of Education is investigating the Montgomery, Prince George’s and Frederick County school districts and Maryland’s education agency in the Trump administration’s latest challenge of the region’s school policies regarding transgender students.
The federal education agency said its Office for Civil Rights (OCR) opened the probes under Title IX, a 1972 law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education programs that receive federal funding.
“According to the complaint received by OCR, Maryland’s statewide guidance and district-level policies require schools to allow boys to compete in girls’ athletics and to use girls-only locker rooms, restrooms, and overnight accommodations,” the Education Department .
A Maryland State Department of Education spokeswoman said it was aware of the complaint and “remains committed to supporting all students and upholding the law.”
“We have no comment while the complaint is under review,” Raven Hill, of the department’s Office of Communications, wrote in an email to Â鶹¹ÙÍø.
Montgomery County Public Schools’ spokeswoman Liliana Lopez said the school district received notice of the investigation.
“MCPS remains committed to providing safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning environments for all students and to complying with applicable federal and Maryland laws and regulations. As the matter is now under review by the Office for Civil Rights, we have no further comment at this time,” she said.
And Frederick County Public Schools spokesperson Brandon Oland wrote in an email to Â鶹¹ÙÍø, “At this stage, the notification reflects the initiation of a fact-finding process and is not a finding of fault or determination that any violation has occurred. FCPS is reviewing the notice and will cooperate fully with any requests for information. Because this is an active federal review, it would be inappropriate to comment further on the allegations or speculate regarding the outcome of the investigation.”
Trump administration actions against area schools include a Justice Department lawsuit filed in December against the Loudoun County, Virginia school board, accusing the district of discriminating against two Christian students who were suspended after objecting to a transgender student using the boys’ locker room.
The administration also claimed Title IX violations in a July 2025 lawsuit against school systems in Prince William, Arlington, Loudoun and Fairfax counties and the city of Alexandria.
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