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U.S. Education Department opens investigation into Westford Public Schools' transgender policy
Summary
The U.S. Department of Education has opened an investigation into Westford Public Schools after a complaint by America First Legal alleging the district's March policy lets students use restrooms and locker rooms according to self-identified gender; the district says its policy follows Massachusetts law.
The U.S. Department of Education opened an investigation into Westford Public Schools at the end of last month after a complaint from America First Legal, the outlet reported.
The complaint, filed on behalf of a Westford parent, alleges the district’s policy implemented in March allows students to use bathrooms and locker rooms in accordance with their self-identified gender. The filing says students who objected to those arrangements were required to leave and that parents were barred from altering the policy.
America First Legal’s president, Gene Hamilton, criticized Westford’s policy and praised the Education Department’s investigation as a defense of Title IX protections that prohibit discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. A person who filed the complaint also submitted an op-ed to the local outlet arguing the school committee "has decided to allow its boys to access female restrooms, locker rooms, or changing facilities if the boys decide that those places correspond to their gender identity."
The complainant cited a January 2025 federal court ruling that, the resident said, found the Department of Education previously exceeded its statutory authority by expanding Title IX protections to cover gender identity; the resident argued that following broader federal interpretations could put the district’s federal funding at risk.
Superintendent Christopher Chu told the local outlet the district’s policy "is following Massachusetts state law." Chu said the district has been aligning its policies with Massachusetts law, which he characterized as more protective than federal rules and within the state’s authority to set.
The report also notes a 2025 executive order signed by President Donald Trump directing federal agencies to ensure grant funds do not promote what the order called "gender ideology" and emphasizing protections for single-sex spaces based on biological sex; the order was cited as part of the background for the complaint.
The Education Department has opened an inquiry but has not released findings or taken further action in the report. The complaint and the district’s stated alignment with state law set up competing legal and policy claims that the federal review will need to assess.
