In the wake of the whistleblower videos circulating on the internet showing that USD 500, Kansas City, Kansas, (KCK) continues to flout federal and state law concerning so-called “social-transitioning” of students, and the failure of the district to come to terms with the United States Department of Education over previous findings, the district will now be subject to an investigation by the United States Department of Justice.
According to a release from the U.S. Department of Education, the Department’s Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO) found in April that KCK “has policies that violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Now, given the District’s ongoing refusal to come into voluntary compliance with the Federal parental rights law, SPPO and DOJ’s Civil Rights Division (CRT) will take appropriate enforcement measures, including applicable judicial proceedings and potential loss of federal funding, for the District’s failure to substantially comply with the requirements under FERPA.
“Through this historic partnership, the Department of Justice is working hand-in-hand with the Department of Education to enforce FERPA and give parents what they are already entitled to—access to all of their children’s education records,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Department’s Civil Rights Division said in the release. “The efforts of Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools to block parents from information about their children’s health and well-being are reprehensible. This Department of Justice will pursue all available avenues to force Kansas City’s compliance with federal law and our Constitution.”
KCK Public Schools found to violate the law earlier this year
While stating the substantive documentation provided by the districts was lacking, the Department of Education found:
“The Districts had policies that were likely to prevent schools from notifying parents of their child’s so-called ‘gender transition,’ even if the parent requested their child’s records, thereby violating parents’ rights under FERPA to access school records pertaining to their children. The Districts’ policies allow schools to conceal from parents whether their children are using different pronouns, going by different names, or even having different names printed on their diplomas.”
However, under FERPA, districts are required to allow parents access to all student records — including records of “gender transition.”
In March 2025, SPPO sent a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) to state superintendents reminding them of their compliance obligations under FERPA and designating the practice of hiding a child’s “gender identity” from that child’s parents as a “priority concern” for SPPO. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon attached a cover letter to the DCL, stating that “by natural right and moral authority, parents are the primary protectors of their children.”
KCK ‘guidelines’ obtained by The Sentinel
The Sentinel recently found that KCK maintains a “guideline” document that attempts to go around state and federal law.
The audio recording played in the video shared by “Libs of TikTok” — audio obtained independently by The Sentinel as well — has Canise Salinas-Willich, the assistant superintendent of organizational development and library services, stressing that the district does not have a “policy” but rather a set of tightly gate-kept “guidelines” on transitioning students.
“I just wanted to give you one more update on that transgender guideline, not a policy that we, we do not have a transgender policy that you heard at the last board meeting,” Salinas-Willich is heard saying in the undated audio. “We do have a guideline, and that guideline is an internal document that will not be shared out to the public; it won’t even be shared to staff members. Angela (Dunn) , Dr. (Anna) Stubblefield, Greg Goheen are kind of the gatekeepers. Lisa knows a little bit about it, knows a lot about it as well, but this won’t be something that we just start to put out there for the system.
“We have a group who wants to come and support. There will be a group on the 13th who will come and support students and staff, but they will not have access to our transgender guidelines, because they had asked if they could use that in support of, and that is a no, and I have directed anyone to Angela Dunn or Dr. Stubblefield if they want more about that guideline.”
Stubblefield is the USD 500 KCK superintendent of Schools, Goheen is the district’s attorney, Dunn is the administrative coordinator for student services, and “Lisa” would appear to be Lisa Walker, assistant superintendent of federal programs.
The USD 500 guidelines state that “A student or a student’s parent or legal guardian should contact the school principal if a student is transgender or gender non-conforming and the student or the student’s parent or legal guardian are seeking any related accommodations. If any staff member learns a student is transgender or gender non-conforming, that information should be relayed to the school principal without delay. The school principal should discuss available accommodations and resources with the student or the student’s parent or legal guardian, (emphasis added) including the availability of a planning meeting.”
Kansas law “mandates that state buildings and agencies (including public schools) shall not use resources to promote or advocate for social transitioning—such as using preferred pronouns or allowing dress inconsistent with the child’s sex assigned at birth, unless required by the First Amendment.”
“Kansas City Kansas Public Schools’ sustained efforts to sidestep FERPA, conceal its true policies, and obstruct parents’ lawful access to their children’s education records represents a serious and deliberate breach of federal law,” Frank Miller, director of the Student Privacy Policy Office at the U.S. Department of Education said in the release. “A strong and coordinated enforcement partnership between the Department of Education and the Department of Justice will ensure districts are held accountable and fully honor parents’ rights.”
