By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON, July 27 (Reuters) - The U.S. Education Department threatened two school districts in Michigan and Maryland with federal funding cuts over their transgender policies, marking the latest attempted crackdown by President Donald Trump's administration over the issue.
Trump has issued multiple executive orders and his administration has taken multiple actions to limit transgender rights.
The Education Department alleged that Anne Arundel County Public Schools in Maryland violated
the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) by classifying information about a student's gender identity as "confidential medical information" that cannot be shared with parents.
In a statement, the Education Department also said that Ann Arbor Public Schools in Michigan likely violated the same law through a policy that the Trump administration alleged requires "school employees to hide a child's transgender status from his or her parents."
In a statement cited by an NBC affiliate, Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) said it first learned of the Education Department's assertions through the department's statement on Monday, adding it did not receive any formal correspondence, notice or documents to support the findings.
"Once such information is received, AACPS and its legal counsel will carefully review it and respond through the appropriate process," it added.
Ann Arbor Public Schools had no immediate comment.
Trump has attempted to freeze federal funding for educational institutions over many issues, such as transgender policies, climate initiatives, pro-Palestinian protests against the war in Gaza and diversity initiatives.
Civil rights groups say such actions violate academic freedom, free speech and due process.
The Education Department said the Trump administration will take enforcement action against Anne Arundel County Public Schools and gave Ann Arbor Public Schools until Aug. 10 to demonstrate why the government should not move forward with similar action.
Violations of FERPA can result in the termination of federal funding, the Education Department said.
FERPA is the primary federal student privacy law protecting education records and student personal information from unauthorized disclosure.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Michael Perry)
