Advocates for trans students urge Maryland to fight Trump administration threats

Allies of transgender children are urging state education officials to fight back against the Trump administration, which has threatened to punish a growing number of Maryland school districts over local policies that affirm students’ gender identities.

The advocates testified Tuesday morning before the Maryland State Board of Education — one day after the U.S. Education and Justice departments alleged that Anne Arundel County’s school system violated federal student privacy law by withholding a student’s gender identity from their parents. A spokesperson for the district said Monday legal counsel had not yet reviewed the claims and that the district had no further comment.

School districts in Prince George’s, Montgomery and Frederick counties were already under investigation for allegedly violating Title IX, the civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination. The federal government last month threatened to revoke funding from the districts because they allow trans students to use restrooms and locker rooms that align with their identities.

On Tuesday, Howard County resident Lizz Hammon urged state board members to stand firm against what she called a series of ongoing attacks and to continue defending the rights of transgender students, especially transgender girl athletes.

“There have been numerous attempts to intimidate states into abandoning their commitment to inclusivity,” said Hammond, who belongs to a group called Community Allies of Rainbow Youth. “They tell transgender children that they do not belong in their own bodies or their own schools or their own communities, and for many of them, school is the safest place they have.

“For many of them,” she added, “this is a matter of life and death.”

Prince George’s County parent Leigh Higgins said she supports the affected school systems’ current gender-inclusive policies and guidelines and asked state board members to “stand up for these guidelines, too.” She demanded the state protect the privacy of all students and staff by refusing to disclose any identifying information to federal investigators.

She said she was speaking publicly on behalf of all the Marylanders who cannot.

“There are real risks in speaking up on this issue,” Leigh said. “You risk the child’s loss of privacy. You risk their safety, and sometimes their parents’ jobs. So today I’m here to speak for other people and say that these inclusive policies and guidelines are important and they matter.”

Board President Josh Michael declined to directly address the requests but said Maryland is “deeply committed” to all public school students.

The federal government began investigating Anne Arundel County schools after the Education Department’s Student Privacy Policy Office received complaints from parents who said the school district allowed their child to use a different name and pronouns without notifying them or obtaining their consent.

The parents said they learned of the change when a school staff member referred to the student by a masculine name in an email. A federal lawsuit filed earlier this month makes similar claims.

A policy and a regulation approved by the district in 2023 affirm the district’s commitment to nondiscrimination and to supporting students regardless of their sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. No doctor’s note or medical evidence is required to establish a student’s gender identity, according to the regulation.

The district neither requires schools to notify parents about a student’s gender identity nor forbids them from doing so. Rather, the regulation instructs school staff to work with parents to develop an appropriate plan to support the student, unless there is a genuine concern that doing so could threaten the student’s safety.

Ever Hanna, a policy specialist with community-building organization Trans Maryland, encouraged State Board of Education members to embrace the policies that are under attack.

“We care about Maryland students and want to be sure that they can have a learning environment free from harassment,” Hanna said. “The best way to ensure that this is the outcome for LGBTQIA+ students is not to soften, massage or even repeal these policies.

“It’s to double down.”