The Departments of Education and Justice sent a joint letter Monday to all state attorneys general reaffirming the Trump administration’s commitment to protecting parental rights and reminding them that parents have a right to direct their child's education.

The letter reminded the attorneys general that under federal law, parents have the right to know and be informed of the most sensitive and personal information pertaining to their children.

“Under the Biden Administration, parents were the enemy. They were labeled as terrorists, targeted, and investigated by a government weaponized against them,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “That era is over. The Trump Administration is acting with unprecedented energy and purpose to restore parents’ natural rights as the primary protectors of their children. 

"The Department of Education is committed to fully enforcing the [Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act] and the [Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment]," she continued. "We are grateful to the Department of Justice for partnering with us to hold rogue schools accountable ... and urge all state Attorneys General to work with us in upholding the letter of the law.”  

The departments are also taking action against the Los Angeles Unified School District for policies that require staff to keep sensitive information hidden from parents, including the child's "self-professed" gender identity. 

Federal privacy laws safeguard parents’ rights to access their children’s education records, seek amendments to those records, and exercise control over the disclosure of personally identifiable information. 

The PPRA, which is a federal privacy law, requires schools to provide notification and attain written parental consent when conducting surveys and evaluations that ask students for certain sensitive and private information such as sex behaviors and attitudes, religious beliefs and mental and psychological problems.    

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.