Following an Aug. 19 Title IX ruling, which places federal funding for several Northern Virginia school districts on a “reimbursement only” standing, Alexandria City Public Schools has announced plans to sue the Department of Education over Title IX funding cuts, joining the ranks of Fairfax County Public Schools and Arlington Public Schools.
ACPS rebuked the federal funding cuts, stating in a Monday Parentsquare notification, “to comply with the demands of the U.S. The Department of Education would expressly violate the law regarding treatment of transgender students… the U.S. Department of Education has given ACPS little choice but to move forward in this fashion.”
ACPS also demonstrated their loyalty to students, stating “ACPS will not stand idly by and allow the U.S. Department of Education to withhold funds from children in need. ACPS’ priority is to provide the children in the City of Alexandria a world-class education while upholding the law, and we will continue to do so here.”
Prince Williams County Public Schools and Loudoun County Public Schools, which also had their federal funding restricted, have not announced any lawsuit plans as of the publication date of this article.
The ruling came this year after a complaint filed on Feb. 4, 2025 by a conservative watchdog, America First Legal. The standing restricts over $200 million in federal funding across the three districts involved in the lawsuit.
According to the Aug. 19 press release from the Department of Education, ACPS is found in violation of Title IX for “allowing students to occupy intimate facilities based on ‘gender identity,’ not biological sex.”
Not only is federal funding placed on a reimbursement status, but as of the Aug. 19 press release, the DOE is currently taking further administrative measures to terminate all federal financial assistance to the five divisions.
As a result of the violation, ACPS will come up short in providing crucial funding for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a status subject to change with a potential future judicial ruling.
ACPS funding is already threatened by the Trump Administration, and further cuts could cause a severe drop in educational quality and equitable accessibility for students in the afflicted districts. The ruling contributes to a larger pattern of educational suppression in America, due to Trump’s educational executive orders and overall restriction on what teachers can teach.
These orders, including the Title IX ruling, are retroactively reversing the successes of former President Lyndon B. Johnson with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, which was an effort “to strengthen and improve educational quality and educational opportunities in the Nation’s elementary and secondary schools.”
In a statement, Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Francisco Durán, said “APS has a duty to our community of students, families and educators to defend the resources they deserve, and policies designed to protect students of all backgrounds”.
Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent, Michelle Reid, reinforced this saying “This lawsuit is an important step in our effort to… ensure that hungry children are fed.” FCPS and APS have already encouraged a federal judge to block the DOE from placing restrictions on their access to federal funding.
FCPS and APS have recently appealed to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals following federal dismissal. ACPS will join the process as they continue the fight for transgender inclusion in Northern Virginia.
ACPS has yet to step foot in court.
