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WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has opened an investigation into the sex discrimination policies of the Los Angeles public school district, scrutinizing a measure that gives schools discretion in deciding whether to disclose students’ gender identities to their parents.

The policy has been challenged by parents who sued the district, the second-largest in the country, saying the measure contributed to the isolation of their child, who later died by suicide. The Justice Department’s investigation was sparked by the lawsuit, according to documents reviewed by The New York Times.

The 11-page policy at issue, which the Los Angeles Unified School District adopted in 2019, is meant to protect transgender students who may not have support for their gender identity at home. It includes guidance for teachers and faculty members to navigate matters of gender identity. The policy advises school officials to allow students to choose their pronouns and restrooms based on their gender identity, and to “take into consideration the safety, health and well-being of the student in deciding whether to disclose the student’s gender identity to parents.”

The Justice Department informed the district about the investigation in a letter on March 25. The investigation also includes a complaint from a female student that she was sexually assaulted after, she alleges, district officials ignored her warnings about the person accused of being the perpetrator.

A spokesperson for the school district declined to comment. Harmeet K. Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for civil rights, who signed off on the investigation, said the Trump administration “will not tolerate policies that deny parents’ fundamental rights.”

The investigation is the latest move by the Trump administration to undo transgender protections that it says run afoul of the rights of parents to have full control and transparency over their children.

The growing parents’ rights movement grew out of the backlash to school shutdowns and other restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic, becoming a potent force in local elections.

President Donald Trump latched on to the concerns of the movement during the 2024 campaign, when targets had expanded to include eliminating classes on critical race theory and library books that groups in the movement viewed as inappropriately explicit for children.

Since Trump’s victory, groups involved in the parents’ rights movement have helped shape the administration’s priorities, including the executive branch’s attempt to eliminate the Education Department and the removal of legal and institutional protections for transgender students.

This article originally appeared in .

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