Sponsors (5)
The bill increases parental notice and control over K–8 identity and sex-accommodation decisions and gives schools a clear process to follow, but it also risks harming transgender and nonbinary students' privacy, safety, and participation while creating legal and administrative strains for school districts.
Parents and families of K–8 students will be formally notified and can withhold consent before schools change a minor's name, pronouns, or sex-separated accommodations, giving parents greater control over school records and identity-related decisions for their children.
K–8 school administrators get a clear, uniform requirement to follow when handling requests to change a minor's name/pronouns or sex-separated accommodations, which can reduce administrative uncertainty and (for some districts) lower disputes about process.
Elementary and middle-grade transgender and nonbinary students risk having their affirmed names and pronouns withheld at school if parents do not consent, increasing chances of outing, stigma, bullying, and harm to students' mental health and school safety.
Parents who do not support a child's gender identity could block access to appropriate sex-separated accommodations (e.g., bathrooms, locker rooms), potentially preventing the child from fully participating in school activities and creating safety and dignity concerns.
Schools and districts will face new legal and administrative burdens to obtain parental consent, navigate conflicts among state rules, student privacy, and federal nondiscrimination obligations, raising operational costs and legal uncertainty that could risk federal funding or prompt litigation.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Conditions ESEA funding on public schools obtaining parental consent before changing a covered minor’s gender marker, pronouns, preferred name, or sex-based accommodations.
Introduced April 3, 2025 by Tim Walberg · Last progress May 20, 2026
Requires public schools that receive federal ESEA funds to get parental consent before changing a covered minor student’s gender marker, pronouns, preferred name on school forms, or sex-based accommodations such as locker rooms or bathrooms. Applies to students in elementary and middle grades and uses existing ESEA definitions for "elementary school," "middle grades," and "parent." The rule operates by conditioning receipt of Elementary and Secondary Education Act funding on school compliance with the parental-consent requirement; no new funding is provided and no effective date is specified in the text provided.