U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced that the U.S. Department of Education has opened a directed investigation into the Maine Department of Education over alleged violations of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). McMahon said the probe responds to reports that "dozens of Maine school districts allow for schools to create gender plans that support a student's transgender identity and then hide those plans from parents claiming they don't fall under education records."

McMahon said, "Parents and guardians have the right to access their child's education records to guide and safeguard their child's mental, emotional, and physical well-being, and we will uphold the law." She added that if the allegations are true, the practice would be "unacceptable and unlawful."

The department's announcement identifies the Maine Department of Education as the subject of a directed investigation; the statement did not include a timeline for the inquiry or further procedural details. The term "gender plans" was used in the statement to describe documents that the complaint alleges support a student's transgender identity and that school staff may be keeping from parents by asserting those materials are not education records under FERPA. The statement characterized the scale of the allegation as involving "dozens" of Maine school districts; no specific districts were named in the remarks.

Nicole Neely, founder and president of Parents Defending Education, spoke with McMahon at the briefing and said, "You are absolutely correct that parents have a right to know what is taking place while their children are under the care of school personnel." Neely also said complaints had been ignored by the previous administration and that the announcement aligns with the department's duty to ensure compliance with federal law.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is a federal statute that governs parents' and eligible students' access to education records; the brief remarks tied the announced investigation specifically to alleged FERPA violations. The Department of Education's statement framed the inquiry as a directed investigation but did not describe what specific records will be reviewed, what procedural steps will follow, or what remedies could result if violations are found.

The announcement is an administrative action by the Department of Education rather than a court or legislative step; the department, in this statement, committed to enforcing FERPA rights as it evaluates the complaints. No vote, ordinance, or formal local action was reported during the briefing.

The department did not provide a schedule for release of findings or next steps beyond opening the directed investigation. Journalists and members of the public seeking further details would need to consult subsequent Department of Education releases or direct inquiries to the department's press office.