a maryland school district already rewrote its trans student policy for trump's doj in august. the doj sued it anyway, a week before the election.

The historic Anne Arundel County Free School, for illustration. Photo: Pubdog, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

via The Baltimore Banner and CBS Baltimore

Anne Arundel County Public Schools did what the Trump administration asked. In August, after threats of legal action and lost federal money, the Maryland district amended its gender identity policy so a student's gender identity is no longer treated as confidential medical information, and so staff can no longer use a trans student's chosen name if the parents object, the Banner reported. Superintendent Mark Bedell wrote that no policy or practice "may limit or otherwise interfere with parental rights under FERPA."

On Tuesday, the Justice Department sued the school board anyway. The complaint, under the federal student-records and pupil-privacy laws known as FERPA and the PPRA, says the district's policies "require staff to facilitate a student's social transition at school" and to withhold that from parents, per the Banner. It centers on one family whose daughter was allegedly called by a male name at school without their knowledge, CBS Baltimore reported. The government wants an injunction against the policy.

"Schools should not discuss preferred pronouns or 'gender identity' with a student without parental notification and consent," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said, per CBS. The district said it "disagrees with the allegations and stands by its compliance with FERPA and PPRA," and called it "regrettable that the Department chose to pursue litigation rather than continuing constructive dialogue."

The suit landed one week before Election Day, a timing the Banner tied to the president rallying his base. Giving in early, it turns out, buys a district about ten weeks. We have watched another school board learn that one the hard way.