The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has opened investigations into 36 Illinois public school districts to determine whether sexual orientation and gender ideology content is being taught in pre-K through 12th grade and whether parents were properly notified or given opt-out protections.

The inquiry targets instruction described as sexual orientation and gender ideology, often abbreviated as SOGI, across grades pre-K-12. Federal investigators want to know if districts that receive taxpayer dollars included SOGI material in classrooms and whether families were kept informed. This is a broad review, not a finding of wrongdoing at this stage.

Officials will look closely at whether districts told parents about their right to exclude children from specific lessons. The probe also covers access rules for single-sex intimate spaces such as bathrooms and locker rooms, and whether participation in girls’ sports is limited by policies that disregard biological sex. Those questions reflect broader disputes about school policy and parental authority.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said, “This Department of Justice is determined to put an end to local school authorities keeping parents in the dark about how sexuality and gender ideology are being pushed in classrooms,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Supreme Court precedent leaves no doubt: parents have the fundamental right and primary authority to direct the care, upbringing, and education of their children. This includes exempting their children from ideological instruction that contradicts their values or decisions about their children’s health and best interests.”

The investigations will test compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Supreme Court’s recent parental-rights decisions. Federal officials cited precedents recently reiterated in Mirabelli v. Bonta and Mahmoud v. Taylor as part of the legal framework guiding the review. Those cases clarified limits on government authority over parental decision-making in education and health matters.

Many of the districts under scrutiny are recipients of public funds, described in the initial notices as receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer support. That funding connection is part of why the Civil Rights Division says it has jurisdiction to ask these questions. The department emphasized that investigators have not reached any conclusions about the districts’ practices or policies.

From a Republican perspective, the probe frames an ongoing fight over parental rights and local control versus federal oversight of public schools. Advocates on this side argue that parents should be informed and have the final say on whether their children receive instruction that conflicts with family values. The Justice Department’s move signals an increased federal willingness to enforce parental-rights principles in education policy disputes.

The investigations cover a wide mix of urban, suburban, and rural districts across Illinois. Officials have listed specific districts that are the subject of investigative letters, and the roster below reflects the full set of named districts. The presence of charters and township systems demonstrates the range of public-school structures included in the review.

• Atwood Heights School District 125
• Bloomington Public Schools District 87
• Bluford Unit School District 318
• Buncombe Consolidated School District 43
• Center Cass School District 66
• Central School District 104
• Community High School District 155
• Country Club Hills School District 160
• Crete-Monee School District 201-U
• DeKalb Community Unit School District 428
• East Dubuque Unit School District 119
• Elmwood Park Community Unit School District 401
• Freeport School District 145
• Galena Unit School District 120
• Gillespie Community Unit School District 7
• Iroquois County Community Unit School District 9
• Leyden Community High School District 212
• Lick Creek Community Consolidated School District 16
• Lyons School District 103
• Martinsville Community Unit School District C3
• Meridian Community Unit School District 223
• Noble Network of Charter Schools
• North Chicago Community Unit School District 187
• North Palos School District 117
• Norwood Elementary School District 63
• O’Fallon Community Consolidated School District No. 90
• Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123
• Odin Public School District 722
• Oregon Community Unit School District 220
• Pembroke Community Consolidated School District 259
• Reavis Township High School District 220
• Ridgeview Community Unit School District 19
• Stockton Community Unit School District 206
• Tamaroa School District 5
• Thornton Fractional Township High School District 215
• Will County School District 92

The Civil Rights Division emphasized that the investigations are fact-finding at this point and do not amount to determinations of legal violations. If investigators uncover policies inconsistent with federal law or Supreme Court precedent, that could lead to further action or negotiations with local officials. The outcome will depend on document reviews, interviews, and how districts respond to the department’s inquiries.