The Department of Justice in downtown Washington DC, USA. (Getty Images)

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into three Michigan public school districts — Detroit Public Schools, Lansing Public Schools and Godfrey-Lee Public Schools, a small district in Kent County — for inclusion of “sexual orientation and gender ideology” content in the districts’ K-12 curricula.

The investigation, announced on Wednesday, will also look into whether parents are being notified of the option to opt their children out of that type of content, if it is being taught, as well as whether the districts “limit access to single-sex intimate spaces, such as bathrooms and locker rooms, based on biological sex.”

“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,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in a press release from the department.

“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,” Dhillon continues. “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.”

In November, the Michigan State Board of Education revised their sex education guidelines to include guidance on coverage of sexual orientation, gender identity, consent and safe sex practices, which previously had not been a part of the curriculum. However, the updated standards maintained, in accordance with state law, requirements for parental notification and options to opt-out of sex ed courses.

This investigation follows a long trend of anti-LGBTQ+ policies promoted by the Trump administration, including an executive order issued just days into President Donald Trump’s second term, “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,” which would end all federal funding and support for “illegal and discriminatory treatment and indoctrination in K-12 schools, including based on gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology,” the order reads.

In response to the investigation, Erin Knott, executive director of Equality Michigan said they were “deeply disappointed” in the decision, noting that nothing the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on, gives the federal government the authority to investigate schools for being too inclusive, while Michigan’s civil rights laws explicitly protect LGBTQ+ students.

“LGBTQ+ youth are among the most vulnerable young people in our state. They face higher rates of bullying, harassment, and mental health challenges. Inclusive education policies are not ‘ideology,’ they are evidence-based efforts to ensure that every student feels safe, respected, and seen in their own school community,” Knott said in an emailed statement. “All kids deserve an education that reflects the diversity of the world they live in. Age-appropriate discussions about health, identity, and respect help create safer classrooms for all students. We urge federal officials to focus on real threats to student well-being like gun-violence, funding cuts, and staffing shortages rather than singling out districts that work to support all children.”

The districts will have until April 6 to respond to the DOJ’s request for information, which includes all documentation, including codes of conduct, handbooks, syllabi and reading lists that have references to a number of terms, including “human reproduction,” “gender diversity” and “LGBTQIA+.”

The requested information also includes “any contemplated or approved change in policies or procedures regarding the issuance of the Michigan Standards in November 2025.” Those changes, passed by the state Board of Education, include recommendations to teach students about LGBTQ+ identities.

Representatives from the three districts did not immediately respond to requests for comment.