[June 11, 2026] Today, Southeastern Legal Foundation (SLF) applauds the recent announcement from the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued Letters of Impending Enforcement Action to three Kansas school districts including Shawnee Mission School District for failing to comply with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

SLF President Kim Hermann applauded OCR’s announcement:

We are extremely thankful for this strong action by the Department of Education to hold Kansas schools accountable for not complying with Title IX. Too many schools across the country are ignoring Title IX which Congress put in place to protect our girls and ensure they have the same educational opportunities as boys. Now, in the name of Woke and gender ideology, we see schools like Shawnee Mission School District where our clients first grade daughter experienced years of serious emotional distress after continuously encountering a biological male student identifying as female in the girls’ bathroom.

When faced with complying with Title IX or continuing to allow a biological boy to invade girls’ private spaces, the district chose to continue to violate federal law and cause shame to its young girls who simply want to use the bathroom in privacy.  This action by the Department sends a message to all school districts, that this can no longer happen. Schools need to be a safe space for students where they only have to worry about their classes, not uncomfortable encounters like our clients’ daughter went through. We sincerely hope that this move by the department of education will encourage more parents to stand up and fight for their children that may be going through a similar instance.

This recent move from the Department of Education follows a joint complaint filed by SLF and Defense of Freedom Institute (DFI) to OCR against the school district, challenging its unlawful policies which allowed students to access sex-separated facilities based on gender identity and enforced the use of preferred names and pronouns among students. The complaint was filed on behalf of Kansas parents and their first-grade daughter who encountered a biological male identifying as a female in the girl’s restroom. As a result of the experience, the first grader has expressed significant emotional distress and has been forced to use staff bathrooms separate from the student bathrooms to protect her privacy.

In April 2026, OCR determined that Shawnee Mission School District violated Title IX by allowing biological boys to use girls’ bathrooms, locker rooms, and changing rooms. Unfortunately, the school district refused to stop its unlawful actions and biological boys continued to use girls’ bathrooms through the end of the school year. The Department of Education is now taking action.