NYC Sues Education Dept Over $47M Magnet Grants

New York City has sued the U.S. Department of Education seeking restoration of roughly $47 million in magnet-school grants revoked after the city declined to roll back policies protecting transgender and gender‑expansive students. The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights says New York’s rules allowing students to use bathrooms, locker rooms and sports teams matching their gender identity violate its Title IX interpretation, prevented certification of civil‑rights compliance, and that the lawsuit lacks merit. City officials say the withdrawal was abrupt and procedurally improper—made without notice, investigation, hearing or opportunity to respond—and that the department’s new interpretation conflicts with state and local anti‑discrimination laws. The stoppage affects 19 magnet schools serving about 7,700 students and funding intended for curriculum development, racial integration efforts and specialized programs such as journalism, math, science, performing arts and civic activism. The complaint calls the move political and disruptive to the school year, and the dispute follows similar grant cancellations in Chicago and Fairfax County, Virginia, setting up a legal showdown over the federal government’s changing Title IX interpretation and local protections for transgender students.