DOJ investigating 3 Michigan school districts over sexual orientation and gender ideology instruction
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a new investigation into three Michigan school districts to determine if they have added "sexual orientation and gender ideology" content in any of their classes without giving parents the option to opt their kids out.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillion sent letters to superintendents at the Detroit Public Schools Community District, Godfrey-Lee Public Schools and Lansing School District, saying the DOJ will determine if the districts violated Title IX.
"This Department of Justice is fiercely committed to ending the growing trend of local school authorities embedding sexuality and gender ideology in every aspect of public education," Dhillon said in a statement. "Supreme Court precedent is clear: parents have the right to direct the religious upbringing of their children, which includes exempting them from ideological instruction which conflicts with their families' sincerely held religious beliefs. And Title IX demands that we guard the safety, dignity, and innocence of our youngest citizens—our children—by ensuring that they have unfettered access to bathrooms and locker rooms of their biological sex."
Jay Kaplan, staff attorney with the ACLU Michigan LGBTQ+ Project, said, "This is definitely an issue that relates to the ability of school districts in Michigan to provide safe and supportive learning environments for all students."
According to Michigan law, local school boards set the health curriculum, with input from local sex education advisory boards. Parents then reserve the right to decide whether their children participate or not.
Kaplan says each district is expected to comply with our state's civil rights laws, regardless of any potential mandates at the federal level.
"We urge school districts to stay the course, to continue having curriculums that recognize the diversity of their population of this world and that they continue to do the right thing," said Kaplan.
CBS News Detroit reached out to the Detroit Public Schools Community District, and a spokesperson said that because the district is out on winter break, they need time to review the document with their legal team before making any comment.
Godfrey-Lee Public Schools Superintendent Arnetta Thompson says the district is "fully cooperating with this inquiry and will provide any requested information."