Trump DOJ Probes Michigan Gender Curriculum, Targets LAUSD Race‑Based Program

The Trump Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has opened investigations into Detroit Public Schools Community District, Godfrey-Lee Public Schools and Lansing School District to determine whether they include sexual orientation and 'gender ideology' content in any pre‑K–12 classes, whether parents are notified of a right to opt out, and whether access to bathrooms and locker rooms is restricted based on biological sex as DOJ says Title IX now requires. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon framed the move as enforcing parental rights and the Supreme Court’s 2025 Mahmoud v. Taylor decision, saying the department is 'fiercely committed' to ending what it calls the embedding of gender ideology throughout public education, while emphasizing no conclusions have yet been reached. In a parallel action, DOJ is seeking to intervene in a 1776 Project Foundation lawsuit against Los Angeles Unified School District’s Predominately Hispanic, Black, Asian, and Other (PHBAO) program, arguing LAUSD unlawfully categorizes students as 'Anglo' (White) versus others, labels neighborhoods with under 30% White residents as disadvantaged, and ties extra funding, lower class sizes and magnet-school preferences to those racial metrics. Attorney General Pam Bondi said 'treating Americans equally is not a suggestion,' and DOJ’s proposed complaint contends LAUSD effectively treats attending a heavily non‑White school as a disadvantage on par with overcrowding. The twin moves deepen the administration’s direct intervention in school policy battles over gender identity and race-conscious funding and admissions, and signal an aggressive federal posture that could ripple through districts nationwide that use opt‑out policies or equity formulas based on race and neighborhood demographics.