Overview
- The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division opened an investigation into Los Angeles Unified’s 2019 guidance on gender identity and parental disclosure.
- A DOJ letter notified the district and cited a lawsuit by Kathleen Mulligan and Andrew Parke after their son, Dylan, died by suicide in March 2024.
- The guidance allows students to use preferred pronouns and restrooms and instructs staff to weigh a student’s safety before informing parents.
- The probe also covers a separate complaint from a female student who says the district ignored warnings before she was sexually assaulted.
- Civil rights chief Harmeet Dhillon authorized the review and said the department will defend parents’ rights, as national courts weigh school notification rules.