The U.S. Department of Education is reportedly investigating several public school districts in northern Virginia, including Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William. America First Legal, a conservative organization founded by White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, filed a complaint against the aforementioned school districts, alleging they have violated one of Donald Trump’s executive orders by allowing transgender students to access restrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity. Ultimately, the complaint argues the school district’s anti-discrimination policies “pertaining to transgender students ‘provide greater rights to students whose ‘gender identity’ does not match their biological sex than it does to students whose ‘gender identity’ matches their biological sex.’”
Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax public schools did not immediately post public statements regarding the matter, but statements from Prince William County Public Schools and Loudoun County Public Schools indicate they will cooperate with an investigation.
“PWCS will, of course, cooperate with the investigation,” Prince William County Public Schools told The Hill. “PWCS remains committed to providing a welcoming, nurturing learning environment where all of our students feel safe and supported mentally, physically, and emotionally.”
The complaint from America First Legal regarding public schools in northern Virginia stems from an executive order Donald Trump issued on January 29, 2025. Trump’s executive order claims it will work to stop “radical indoctrination” in publicly funded schools.
“Parents trust America’s schools to provide their children with a rigorous education and to instill a patriotic admiration for our incredible Nation and the values for which we stand. In recent years, however, parents have witnessed schools indoctrinate their children in radical, anti-American ideologies while deliberately blocking parental oversight,” the executive order states.
“Imprinting anti-American, subversive, harmful, and false ideologies on our Nation’s children not only violates longstanding anti-discrimination civil rights law in many cases, but usurps basic parental authority. For example, steering students toward surgical and chemical mutilation without parental consent or involvement or allowing males access to private spaces designated for females may contravene Federal laws that protect parental rights, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), and sex-based equality and opportunity, including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX).”
Within the last two months, the Department of Education has announced it was investigating the use of an all-gender restroom in a Denver school and multiple athletic associations allowing transgender athletes to compete. Members of Congress and advocacy groups have been critical of Trump’s executive orders barring transgender students from accessing areas and activities that align with their gender identity.
“The Trump Administration’s executive orders amount to a coordinated campaign to prevent transgender people from functioning in society. The systematic targeting of transgender people across American institutions is chilling, but targeting young people in schools, denying them support and essential opportunities during their most vulnerable years, is especially cruel,” Chris Erchull, Senior Staff Attorney at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law) said. “School sports are an important part of education—something no child should be denied simply because of who they are.
