The U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter to Ann Arbor Public Schools on Monday demanding that the district immediately ceases noncompliance with federal law regarding parental access to student records.

The letter from Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon instructed the district to rescind or revise Policy 5011, which addresses transgender and gender nonconforming students, within 14 days. Failure to comply could trigger enforcement actions including civil litigation and withholding of federal funds.

The action follows a July determination by the Department of Education's Student Privacy Policy Office that the district's policy likely violates the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act by requiring school employees to hide a student's transgender status from parents. The office also questioned the district's practice of maintaining separate records on gender identity issues.

Ann Arbor Public Schools revised the policy during an Aug. 26 board meeting. However, the DOJ letter stated that the changes did not produce a substantive difference from the original version. It cited comments from board members, including Trustee Susan Schmidt, who reportedly said the revision "doesn't mean we're changing anything. We're trying to be more clever than that."

The policy in question directed staff not to disclose information revealing a student's transgender status unless authorized by the student or required by law. Federal officials argue this conflicts with FERPA requirements that parents have access to their children's education records and with the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment.

"School districts that hide information from parents are violating federal law," Dhillon stated in related remarks. "FERPA is not optional."

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon has described such practices as an affront to parental rights under federal law. The Trump administration has pursued similar enforcement against other districts accused of withholding information about students from families.

Ann Arbor Public Schools has not issued a public response to the latest letter. The district faces a deadline of Sept. 28 to demonstrate compliance or risk further federal action.

This case highlights ongoing federal efforts to enforce parental notification requirements in schools amid debates over student privacy policies.