The Trump DOJ’s Civil Rights Division is investigating whether 36 Illinois school districts denied parents notice and opt-outs from gender identity instruction while also reviewing Title IX compliance in bathrooms, locker rooms, and girls’ sports.
The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has initiated a federal investigation into numerous Illinois public school districts, including Atwood Heights School District 125, Bloomington Public Schools District 87, DeKalb Community Unit School District 428, and Freeport School District 145, based on their policies regarding instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI).
According to federal officials, the investigation, launched April 30, will examine 36 school districts to see if parents are being denied their constitutional authority to make decisions regarding the education and well-being of their children, including providing them the ability to opt their children out of SOGI instructional content.
“What we’ve learned is that Illinois has a comprehensive sex education and LGBTQ education regime for its public schools, and it appears that it does not allow for parental opt-outs, so these are mandatory topics,” said Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights.
In 2025, the Supreme Court ruled in Mahmoud v. Taylor that parents challenging Montgomery County’s LGBTQ-inclusive storybook curriculum and no-opt-out policy were entitled to a preliminary injunction, holding that the policy likely burdened their free exercise rights.
Dhillon noted that if Illinois schools are also mandating SOGI lessons “and not allowing parents the opportunity to opt out of content that may be inappropriate for them based on religion or values, they would be afoul of that Supreme Court precedent. And so we have reason to believe that these school districts in Illinois are not obeying the law, and we’re going to look into that.”
The investigation is also expected to review policies regarding the use of student names and pronouns, student-run clubs centered on gender identity issues, and whether Illinois schools are complying with Title IX regarding bathroom access and locker rooms, as well as protections for girls’ athletic programs.
In addition, investigators will examine whether districts are helping students socially transition to the opposite gender and keeping it secret from parents, another issue recently addressed by the Supreme Court in Mirabelli v. Bonta, where the Court vacated the Ninth Circuit’s stay as to parents challenging California policies that prevented schools from informing parents about a child’s gender transition at school without the child’s consent.
“This Department of Justice is determined to put an end to local school authorities keeping parents in the dark about how sexuality and gender ideology are being pushed in classrooms,” Dhillon said. “Supreme Court precedent leaves no doubt: parents have the fundamental right and primary authority to direct the care, upbringing, and education of their children. This includes exempting their children from ideological instruction that contradicts their values or decisions about their children’s health and best interests.”
Federal funds support the operations of certain Illinois public school districts, but if school districts are found in violation of any laws, those funds could be in jeopardy.
In response to questions, Dhillon commented: “Children have rights and parents have rights, and we’re here to enforce those rights.”
The issues discussed above have been occurring nationwide, underscoring how widespread these conflicts have become. The Civil Rights Division is also reviewing three Michigan school districts over their policies regarding gender identity and parental notification.
Other school districts are being civilly sued by parents for pushing LGBTQ ideology on children without their knowledge or consent, including deceiving students and parents into believing that an LGBTQ club was an art club; forcing young girls to share a bed with a biological male during an overnight field trip; and forcing female students to share cabins with, and take showers in front of, male high school counselors identifying as women while attending a week-long middle school camp.
The DOJ investigation into Illinois schools is necessary because too many schools are more aligned with secular LGBTQ ideology than they are with adhering to the Constitution and the rule of law.
The Supreme Court has consistently affirmed that families are the cornerstone of American society and that parents have the right and the duty to oversee their child’s medical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Its recent rulings in Mahmoud v. Taylor and Mirabelli v. Bonta affirm that these rights and responsibilities don’t end at the schoolhouse door.
The idea of parental rights is consistent with biblical order. The Bible states that the first duty of a parent is to bring up their children in a godly manner (Deuteronomy 6). Ensuring a child’s development throughout their formative years is closely tied to time spent at home with their family. When a child enters a school environment, the school does not “take over” their upbringing but rather adds to the parents’ responsibilities for their child.
Therefore, when schools begin to teach about sexuality and identity without parental input, this creates legal, biblical, and emotional conflict, one that can undermine the parent-child bond and increase societal disorder.
For parents, it is especially frustrating to watch public schools devote energy to contested ideological issues while national reading and math performance remains deeply concerning. The Nation’s Report Card showed that 2024 reading scores declined in both fourth and eighth grade from 2022 and remained below pre-pandemic levels, while math recovery has remained uneven.
This investigation shines a light on a growing crisis in American life. Will we honor the God-given role of parents, or will we surrender that sacred trust to government institutions?
A just society does not require everyone to agree on all issues; it requires that families receive the respect they deserve. Schools must help parents, rather than work against them. At the very minimum, families should receive honest communication and the ability to make decisions about their child’s well-being based on their own beliefs.
If we lose sight of this principle, we risk far more than losing a policy debate. We put the very foundation of the American family in jeopardy.
