DFI Files Title IX, FERPA Complaints Against PGCPS Over Transgender Policies

The Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies (DFI) says it has filed federal civil rights complaint(s) with the U.S. Department of Education naming the Maryland State Department of Education and three local districts — Prince George’s County Public Schools, Montgomery County Public Schools, and Frederick County Public Schools — and alleging state and district policies allow boys to compete in girls’ sports and access girls’ intimate facilities while directing staff to conceal gender transitions from parents.

DFI’s press release in a Washington dateline says the filings identify policies that “permit boys to compete in girls’ sports and access girls’ intimate facilities, while simultaneously directing school staff to conceal students’ gender transitions from parents, including by complying with requests to change names and pronouns without parental knowledge or consent.” The release asks the Department’s Office for Civil Rights and Student Privacy Policy Office to “investigate these policies, enforce federal law, and hold Maryland education agencies accountable for practices that discriminate on the basis of sex and undermine parents’ rights.”

On social media, DFI’s organization page on LinkedIn and an Instagram post emphasized the filings and PGCPS specifically. DFI’s LinkedIn post states verbatim, “Prince George's County Public Schools, Maryland, is in violation of Title IX and the Family Educational Records and Privacy Act because Prince George County Public Schools allows boys in' girls' school sports and spaces and hides students' gender transitions from their parents. DFI has filed two complaints with the U.S. Department of Education. Read our Title IX and FERPA complaints here:” DFI’s Instagram post likewise states, “DFI has filed two complaints with @usedgov. Read our Title IX and FERPA complaints at the link in bio.” The captured LinkedIn excerpt shows DFI’s page with 1,110 followers.

The documents and filing logistics remain unclear in the materials DFI released. The press release refers to “a federal civil rights complaint” naming the state department and three districts, while the LinkedIn and Instagram posts assert “two complaints” with the Department that call out Prince George’s County Public Schools. The press release and social posts do not include complaint filing dates, complaint numbers, or the complaint PDFs in the excerpts provided.

DFI also tied the Maryland filings to a broader national strategy in its public materials. The press release notes that “On February 10, Don Daugherty, DFI’s Senior Litigation Counsel, testified before a House Education Workforce Subcommittee on the…” with the remainder of that sentence truncated in the excerpt. Separately, DFI has filed an amicus brief supporting U.S. Department of Education funding actions in New York City and partnered with the Liberty Justice Center on a federal civil rights complaint against the Illinois State Board of Education and Chicago Public Schools alleging Title IX violations over bathrooms, locker rooms, and overnight accommodations.

Public reaction to DFI’s LinkedIn post was captured in a user comment attributed to Tracy Cullo, who wrote, “No way! PG county?! I’m shocked and horrified. It’s such a beacon of organized, competent, accountable, and transparent governance. Of course, Maryland is one of the few states where when they elected a republican he was actually a democrat. Color me stunned. 😆” The materials provided include no statements or responses from Prince George’s County Public Schools, the Maryland State Department of Education, Montgomery County Public Schools, Frederick County Public Schools, or the U.S. Department of Education. DFI’s social posts invite readers to “read our Title IX and FERPA complaints” via links on LinkedIn and the Instagram bio; the complaint texts and official agency responses were not included in the excerpts released by DFI.