The Trump administration has opened a federal investigation into the Minnesota Department of Education over allegations that schools may have introduced «transgender dolls» for children as young as four without notifying parents, raising the possibility of losing federal education funding if violations of parental rights are confirmed.
The probe, launched by the Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office, stems from a privacy complaint filed by the advocacy group Defending Education. The complaint accused Minnesota schools of failing to inform parents or provide them an opportunity to opt their children out of classroom activities involving «MyGender Dolls,» paper figures with removable and interchangeable internal and external genitalia, clothing, and accessories.
Under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, parents have the explicit statutory right to review instructional materials and opt their children out of surveys or activities involving sensitive personal topics. If the investigation determines that Minnesota violated this law, the state could face referral to the Department of Justice and ultimately the termination of its federal education dollars.
State officials, however, have strongly rejected the allegations. The Minnesota Department of Education stated it «has no involvement» with the program and noted that the dolls were developed through a study housed at the University of Minnesota. Governor Tim Walz’s office went further, calling the story «manufactured by right-wing media.» The governor’s office asserted that the program was created through private donors and is supported entirely by a privately funded grant, not by state or federal taxpayer dollars.
The University of Minnesota confirmed that the team behind MyGender Dolls participated in privately funded review competitions and received no state or federal money for development or commercialization. A university spokesperson stated: «MyGender Dolls is a private, independent LLC, not affiliated with the University of Minnesota.»
Researchers behind the project have also pushed back, clarifying that the dolls are intended as «a therapeutic tool for use by licensed professionals» and will not be distributed in public school classrooms this fall. Despite these clarifications, Education Department officials expressed strong concern. Amelia Joy, an ED spokesperson, described the dolls as «shocking» and argued that taxpayer funding facilitated their creation — a claim disputed by both the state and the university.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon issued a statement defending the investigation. «While Governor Walz and the radical left continue to funnel taxpayer dollars to perverted ideologies that can harm children, the Trump Administration is fighting to protect children’s innocence and defend parents’ role as the first and primary decision-makers in their child’s education,» she said. «No four-year-old should be exposed to such material – especially without a parent’s knowledge or consent. ED will enforce the law to its fullest extent, putting parents and families firmly in the driver’s seat of their child’s education.»
The Minnesota investigation is part of a broader federal effort targeting gender-identity policies in schools. On National Parents Day, the Department of Education partnered with the Department of Justice to take enforcement action against two other school districts — Anne Arundel County Public Schools in Maryland and Ann Arbor Public Schools in Michigan — for allegedly concealing information from parents about their children’s gender transitions at school, in violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
The outcome of the Minnesota probe could set a precedent for how the Trump administration enforces parental rights in education. The state maintains that the controversy is baseless, while federal officials vow to pursue the matter to its conclusion.
