CLOSED: On June 26, 2023, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights closed this complaint. See the letter here.
On May 1, 2023, the Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation into this complaint. See the letter here.
On March 14, 2023, Parents Defending Education filed a complaint against Lower Merion School District in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. The complaint claimed the district was breaking Title IX, a law that bans sex discrimination in schools that receive federal funds. It also claimed the district was violating the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause, which bars government bodies, including public schools, from treating people differently because of their sex except in rare cases.
A social media post announced the district’s first “Girls + STEM Night,” for “girls and gender diverse students.” It promised to introduce students to careers in science, technology, engineering, and math, and mentioned future programs and networking events. DE argues that the event and future programs were offered based on sex and not open to all students.
Read the full complaint and see its evidence below:
