The House Committee on Education and the Workforce has asked Chicago Public Schools’ chief executive, Macquline King, to explain policies that Republicans say may prevent parents being told about a pupil’s gender transition. Committee chair Tim Walberg said CPS guidance appears inconsistent with King’s June testimony that the district does not hide information from parents, intensifying a wider political and legal dispute over parental rights and transgender pupils in US schools.

Walberg cited CPS interim guidance and a Gender Diversity Toolkit stating that staff should not disclose a pupil’s transgender status or gender-nonconforming presentation without the pupil’s permission, and that parental consent is not required. He also referred to the Supreme Court’s recent Mirabelli v. Bonta decision, which found parents were likely to succeed in challenging a California non-disclosure law, although the case remains under appeal; the committee has requested relevant CPS documents, complaints and training materials by 11 September. CPS had not responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.