The U.S. Department of Education announced on July 29 that it has launched an investigation into the Minnesota Department of Education to ensure compliance with the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment after receiving a complaint from parents about the use of “transgender dolls” in classrooms.
The complaint, sent to the department’s Student Privacy Policy Office by Defending Ed, raised concerns from Minnesota parents who said their statutory and constitutional rights were violated because they were not notified or given a chance to opt their children out of activities involving these dolls. According to news reports cited in the announcement, “MyGenderDolls” will be available for use by educators with students as young as four years old this fall. The dolls are described as having removable and interchangeable genitalia, gender-neutral names, and clothing options for both sexes. They were developed through a taxpayer-funded University of Minnesota program.
The department’s statement said that using sexually explicit dolls to introduce sensitive topics could have mental health implications for some children and undermine parental authority over student safety and well-being. The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment guarantees parents the right to opt their children out of surveys eliciting certain sensitive information or to review related instructional materials.
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said, “While Governor Walz and the radical left continue to funnel taxpayer dollars to perverted ideologies that can harm children, the Trump Administration is fighting to protect children’s innocence and defend parents’ role as the first and primary decision-makers in their child’s education,” McMahon continued, “No four-year-old should be exposed to such material – especially without a parent’s knowledge or consent. ED will enforce the law to its fullest extent, putting parents and families firmly in the driver’s seat of their child’s education.”
The department recognized National Parents’ Day on July 26 this year, honoring parental involvement in education. Throughout this week, it plans significant actions aimed at enforcing federal parental rights laws nationwide—including what it describes as an administration-wide crackdown on school districts allegedly transitioning students without informing parents.