House Education Committee subpoenas three school chiefs over transgender student policies

The House Committee on Education and the Workforce, chaired by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), subpoenaed and heard from the leaders of three large urban school districts on June 10, 2026, in a hearing titled "Breaking Trust: Attacks on Parental RightsParental RightsThe legal principle that parents have authority to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children.Key ConceptParental RightsThe legal principle that parents have authority to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children.Open conceptBookmark, Inappropriate Content, and Legal Abuses in America's Schools." Witnesses were Chicago Public Schools CEO Macquline King, San Francisco Unified Superintendent Maria Su, and Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent Aaron Spence.

Walberg opened the hearing by accusing the three districts of allowing 'political or ideological agendas' to replace academic content. He accused Loudoun County's Spence of 'child abuse' in a public statement the day before the hearing, a characterization Spence disputed in testimony. WJLA and LoudounNow covered the exchange.

King repeatedly testified that Chicago Public Schools policies comply with Illinois state law. Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) accused King and CPS of allowing teachers to withhold students' gender identities from parents — an accusation King denied on the record: "We do not hide information from parents," King told Miller. Axios and CBS Chicago both covered the exchange.

San Francisco Unified Superintendent Maria Su testified before the committee and defended SFUSD's inclusion policies, parental rights practices, and ethnic studies curriculum. The San Francisco Chronicle reported Su appeared "unfazed" during questioning and that Democrats on the committee praised her handling of Republican pressure. EdSource and KQED provided additional coverage of her testimony.

Democrats on the committee criticized the hearing as a political distraction. Ranking member Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) and other Democrats argued committee resources should focus on school safety, gun violence, and cuts to Title I funding rather than gender-policy investigations. KQED and EdSource reported Democratic characterizations of the hearing as a 'culture war' exercise.

Congress has limited direct authority over local school policy. Local districts answer to state law, school boards elected by local parents, and federal civil rightsCivil RightsRights protecting citizens from discrimination and ensuring equal treatment.Key ConceptCivil RightsRights protecting citizens from discrimination and ensuring equal treatment.Open conceptBookmark statutes such as Title IX. The committee's primary enforcement levers are subpoena power and federal funding threats — withholding Title I, Title IX, or other federal education grants from noncompliant districts.

Title IX governs sex discrimination in educational programs receiving federal money. The Trump administration's interpretation of Title IX, which reversed Biden-era rules, is the legal backdrop for Republican pressure on districts with trans-inclusive policies.

Loudoun County Public Schools became a national political flashpoint in 2021 after contentious school board meetings and a student assault case. Aaron Spence took over as LCPS superintendent after the prior leadership's departure. The committee's focus on Loudoun continued a pattern of congressional Republicans using the district as a proxy for broader parental-rights arguments.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that supporters of Macquline King organized advocacy efforts urging her to strongly defend CPS policies for transgender students and Black students in the hearing. Chicago Sun-Times and Chalkbeat covered community mobilization ahead of the June 10 testimony.

Windy City Times reported that King defended CPS's gender-identity inclusion policies, citing the district's obligation to protect all students including transgender and nonbinary youth under Illinois law. The district's policies were developed in compliance with Illinois state law and ISBE guidelines, not federal mandates.

The Walberg committee also sent federal investigation letters and threatened Title IX funding reviews to school districts across the country in parallel with the hearing. Education Week reported that the hearing was part of a broader federal strategy to pressure local school officials into aligning policies with the Trump administration's Title IX interpretation.