Federal Probe into California's School Privacy Policies

The U. S. Department of Education has started looking into the California Department of Education. They are checking if California is breaking federal privacy rules. These rules are part of the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act, or FERPA. FERPA lets parents see their kids' school records and control who sees personal info about their kids. California has a new state law. This law stops school staff from telling parents about a child's "gender identity. " This has raised concerns. The federal department thinks many schools in California might be hiding this info from parents. They also think the California Department of Education might have played a part in this. The federal department is worried. They think schools might be pushing kids to change their gender at school without telling parents. This could be because of a new state law called Assembly Bill 1955. The federal department wants to protect parents' rights and keep kids safe. The federal department's leader, Secretary Linda McMahon, has spoken out. She thinks teachers and counselors should not be making big decisions about kids' identity and health. She believes parents should be involved. She also thinks it's wrong for schools to hide important info from parents. Federal laws are more important than state laws. Schools that get federal money must follow FERPA. If they don't, they could lose that money. FERPA gives parents rights. They can see their kids' school records, ask for changes, and control who sees personal info. This is a big deal. It's about privacy, parental rights, and how schools handle sensitive info. It's also about a clash between state and federal laws. The outcome could affect schools and families across California.