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Anne Arundel County Board of Education Violates FERPA and is Under U.S. Department of Education Enforcement Action

  • Fellow Editors
  • 2 hours ago
  • 3 min read


It appears that activism of the Maryland State Education Association (state teachers' union) and their understanding of federal law and the US Constitution is at serious odds with reality.


It is not a secret that the Maryland State Education Association (MSEA) has been actively engaged in the local board business even if that business has nothing to do with the teacher's wages, pay or the union's mission.


For months now, the Somerset County's teachers' union kept posting lies on social media that the local Board is "banning Harry Potter", "Letters of Anne Frank," "To Kill A Mockingbird," and other classic literary works.


What they are really upset about is the actual Somerset County Board of Education policy 500-19 that defines minors and adults, which prohibit the teachers union activists from forcing minors to read explicit and obscene adult materials by calling the minors "young adults".


Anne Arundel County Board of Education (ACBOE) caved to the union's demands, and the ACBOE published a policy that "young adults" may be exposed to medical gender transition treatment in schools without knowledge or disclosure of such treatment to their parents!


In July 2026, the U.S. Department of Education (ED), through its Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO), partnered with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division and took enforcement action against Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) in Maryland.



What prompted the action is the local Board's policy that determined that AACPS improperly classified information about a student’s “gender identity” as “confidential medical information” that could not be shared with parents.


This was viewed as violating parental rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).


Complaints came from parents who learned (via an email using male pronouns) that the school was facilitating their daughter’s social “gender transition” at school without their knowledge or consent.


School officials reportedly declined to provide details or relevant records.



The Federal Department of Education and Department of Justice (DOJ) stated that such policies impeded parents’ FERPA rights and warned of possible judicial proceedings and loss of federal funding.


A related private lawsuit by America First Legal (on behalf of parents) had also been filed earlier in July 2026 challenging AACPS Policy JQ and Regulation JQ-RA.



District response:


On or about August 20, 2026, AACPS Superintendent Mark T. Bedell announced amendments to the confidentiality section of Administrative Regulation JQ-RA (“Safe and Inclusive Environments for LGBTQ+ Students”).


The updated language clarifies that:


• Nothing in the regulation may limit or interfere with parents’/guardians’ rights under FERPA, including the right to inspect and review their child’s complete education record.


• This explicitly covers information related to gender identity, transgender status, sexual orientation, preferred name, or preferred pronouns.


• Education records generally include all records, files, documents, and other materials maintained by AACPS that contain information directly related to a student (governed further by Board Policy JH and Regulation JH-RA on student records).



The district stated it is now in compliance with FERPA and we shall see if the DOJ Civil Rights Division agrees with this change in the next few weeks.


It is finally the time to defund union political coercion and bullying from the members of the Maryland State Education Association.


The ACLU of Maryland remained silent about Anne Arundel County's policy that violated civil rights of parents and students under FERPA. Yet they were exceptionally aggressive when the Somerset County Board of Education simply defined "Obscene Material" and "Young Adult".


The battle for our children's basic human rights, safety and wellbeing is ongoing.


Are you aware?


How much are you willing to stand up and support local Conservative board members who would put their life and careers in the line to protect your children in schools?


Fellows & Editors

August 20, 2026. Copyright DelmarvaPTC.org 


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