Alexandria City Public Schools clarified to ALXnow on Wednesday that no federal funds have been withheld from the district despite being placed on “high-risk” status by the U.S. Department of Education over transgender student policies.
“While ACPS has been designated as a high-risk entity by the United States Department of Education, no federal funds have been withheld from ACPS as of today,” the district said in response to ALXnow’s inquiry about the specific funding amounts at stake.
The clarification comes three days after U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner sent a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon demanding the reversal of what they called federal funding cuts to Alexandria and four other Northern Virginia school districts.
The Education Department placed Alexandria and the other districts on “high-risk” status in August and moved all federal funding to a reimbursement-only system. The designation requires schools to pay expenses upfront before requesting federal reimbursement, creating cash flow challenges even while funding continues.
The department also began administrative proceedings seeking suspension or termination of federal financial assistance to all five districts after they rejected demands to change policies allowing transgender students to use facilities matching their gender identity.
The dispute began when the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights concluded that Alexandria’s policy providing facility access based on “gender identity” rather than biological sex violates Title IX. A complaint from conservative legal group America First Legal triggered the investigation.
Alexandria and the other Northern Virginia districts argue they are following existing federal court precedent from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, which established transgender students’ rights to use facilities matching their gender identity.
While no funds have been cut off yet, the districts face ongoing uncertainty as the Education Department’s administrative proceedings continue. The timeline for potential resolution remains unclear.
This is a developing story.
