DOJ Investigates 36 Illinois School Districts Over Parental Opt-Outs for Gender Ideology

President Donald Trump's Justice Department has launched investigations into 36 Illinois school districts to check if they allow parents to opt their children out of instruction on sexual orientation and gender ideology.

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said Illinois public schools have a comprehensive sex education and LGBTQ education regime that does not permit parental opt-outs, making these topics mandatory. "If the schools are mandating this and not allowing parents the opportunity to opt out of content that may be inappropriate for them based on religion or values, they would be afoul of that Supreme Court precedent," Dhillon told Fox News. "And so we have reason to believe that these school districts in Illinois are not obeying the law, and we're going to look into that."

The probes will also determine if districts encourage or facilitate student gender transitions without parental notice or consent, such as through name and pronoun policies or school clubs focused on gender identity. "This Department of Justice is determined to put an end to local school authorities keeping parents in the dark about how sexuality and gender ideology are being pushed in classrooms," Dhillon wrote in a statement. She added that Supreme Court precedent gives parents the fundamental right and primary authority to direct their children's care, upbringing, and education, including exempting them from ideological instruction that contradicts their values or decisions about their children's health and best interests.

The Civil Rights Division announced Thursday that it has opened the investigations into the districts for including sexual orientation and gender ideology content in classes from pre-K through 12th grade. Investigators will check if schools notified parents of opt-out rights. The districts receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer funding, which could be jeopardized if civil rights violations are found.

Dhillon told Fox News the inquiry extends beyond classroom instruction to policies on students' names, pronouns, and gender identity clubs. "Illinois is just pushing these radical agendas," she said, noting that school districts often face conflicting demands and that federal court intervention may be needed to stop the practice.

The investigations will assess whether districts limit access to single-sex spaces like bathrooms and locker rooms, and girls' sports teams, based on biological sex. The districts under review receive federal funding and face examination for Title IX compliance and adherence to Supreme Court parental rights precedent. "Children have rights and parents have rights, and we're here to enforce those rights," Dhillon told Fox News.

Named districts include Atwood Heights School District 125, Bloomington Public Schools District 87, DeKalb Community Unit School District 428, Elmwood Park Community Unit School District 401, Freeport School District 145, Noble Network of Charter Schools, North Chicago Community Unit School District 187, Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123, Reavis Township High School District 220, Thornton Fractional Township High School District 215, and Will County School District 92, among others.

The probe continues federal scrutiny of Illinois education policy. Last year, officials opened a Title IX investigation into the Illinois Board of Education and Chicago Public Schools over policies allowing transgender students to access bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity.