FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Education (ED) is doubling down on its efforts to dismantle federal bureaucracy and bolster parental rights after Democrats swept key midterm elections across the country, including going after school districts for concealing a students’ gender transition from parents.
“The Department will double down on its efforts to restore parental rights, return education to the states, and open more higher education pathways for students,” an ED spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
The ED’s announcement came after races in traditionally staunch Republican strongholds came surprisingly close to flipping — or in several cases, turned blue — amid last week’s Democratic victories.
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The midterm results put landmark Republican education legislation in a precarious position. GOP governors across the U.S. had previously passed universal school choice and parental rights measures as culture war debates and declining enrollments in major metropolitan public school districts accelerated post-COVID.
In the Lone Star State, Texas Democratic Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa signaled her intent to reverse school choice expansion.
“This is a victory for the parents of Texas. We are taking our children’s education back from a government that has failed them,” Hinojosa said during her victory speech.
“Schools will not be taken out of our control. They will not be shuttered or suffocated. Being a parent is hard enough, and we are now carrying the burdens of the government’s failures. To the children of Texas: Your schools will not close,” Hinojosa added.
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The debate comes as major urban districts navigate shifting enrollment dynamics. The Houston Independent School District board, for example, previously voted unanimously to close 12 campuses, citing enrollment declines alongside the state’s expanding school voucher framework.
“On day one, I will fire [Texas Education Agency Commissioner] Mike Morath, and we will work tirelessly to repair the damage of the Texas voucher scam, and end an era in which our schools are sold for parts,” Hinojosa said.
Voucher and school choice programs face similar circumstances after Democrats flipped Iowa, Georgia and Nevada.
Recognizing the heightened political pressure on state-level conservative education policies, the Department of Education is aiming to reinforce protections at the federal level as it works to fulfill President Donald Trump’s key campaign commitments — including holding school districts accountable regarding student gender transitions.
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“The Department will take action to protect parental rights with multiple investigations into schools allegedly hiding students’ ‘gender transitions’ from parents,” the ED spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “As you know, parents must have access to the most sensitive information about their child’s well-being — and schools cannot stand in the way.”
“ED will also partner with DOJ to continue holding school districts and states accountable for violating parents’ rights,” the spokesperson added.
In July, the Trump administration expanded its overarching campaign regarding gender-identity policies in public elementary and secondary schools.
On National Parents’ Day, the ED partnered with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to initiate enforcement actions against two school districts accused of violating the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Federal officials warned districts that concealing information from parents regarding a child’s gender transition could lead to the withholding of federal funds.
On cutting administrative overhead, the department reaffirmed its mandate to return regulatory oversight to state and local authorities.
“The Department will issue two ‘Returning Education to the States’ waivers, which will allow state leaders to focus federal dollars on work that best improves the achievement of their students, not bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.,” the spokesperson said.
Regarding post-secondary education, the ED maintained that post-secondary admissions must remain strictly merit-based.
“The Department will open investigations across the nation based on credible reports that universities with education programs withhold opportunities for recruitment and financial support from candidates based solely on race,” the ED spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Hinojosa’s campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.