Analysis
What the official said
“In April 2026, SPPO found that Topeka Public Schools, Olathe Public Schools, and Shawnee Mission Public Schools (the Districts) maintain policies that instruct schools to hide information related to students’ “gender identity” from their parents.”
Claimant: Linda McMahon U.S. Secretary of Education
Agency or office: U.S. Department of Education
Context
Department of Education press release announcing SPPO findings and actions: Topeka entered a Resolution Agreement; ED and DOJ are pursuing enforcement against Olathe and Shawnee Mission. The investigation was opened after a letter from the Kansas Attorney General; OCR also found related Title IX violations.
Evidence
The Department of Education's official press release states that SPPO determined in April 2026 that the three named Kansas districts had policies directing staff to conceal students' gender identity information from parents and describes subsequent enforcement steps (a Resolution Agreement with Topeka and coordinated ED/DOJ action against the other districts). This is an official agency finding with potential legal and funding consequences, and it is both verifiable (via the agency press release and underlying SPPO/Resolution Agreement documents) and controversial because it implicates contested legal and privacy issues.