New York City officials are suing the Trump administration over its decision to block $47 million in education funds for public magnet schools. Mayor Eric Adams’ office announced the new lawsuit Thursday.
The Trump administration said last month it would withhold the money because of the city’s policies regarding trans students, which allow them to play sports and use locker rooms and bathrooms that align with their gender expression. The city’s rules follow state guidelines, which advocates say are protected by the state’s human rights law.
The funding had already been awarded to support curriculum development at 19 magnet schools over five years.
“By filing this lawsuit, we’re fighting for every single dollar New York City deserves, standing up for the rule of law, and championing the rights of our youngest New Yorkers,” City Hall spokesperson Zachary Nosanchuk said.
In a statement, Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos said the Trump administration’s directive not only contradicts state law, but, “just as importantly, our values.”
A spokesperson for the federal education department said the city’s lawsuit has no merit.
The federal education department has also withheld grants for magnet programs in Chicago and Fairfax, Virginia over gender and diversity policies it alleges violate civil rights law.
Federal officials took aim at the city’s policies regarding trans students, claiming they violate Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination.
“When recipients of federal funding require schools to treat 'trans-identifying' males as if they were 'females,' including in intimate traditionally sex-separate facilities, they defeat the very purpose of Title IX: to ensure equal opportunities for women while not jeopardizing their privacy, safety, or other rights,” acting Office of Civil Rights Director Craig Trainor wrote in a Sept. 16 letter to the city.
When the city did not reverse its policies within three days, federal officials said the funding had been cut.
In the lawsuit, the city argues that federal officials did not follow the required steps for re-evaluating the grant award – including a hearing and an opportunity to request reconsideration.
It also says the Trump administration’s “novel interpretation” of Title IX “is contrary to the determinations of multiple federal circuit courts.”
Adams initially said he was in favor of reconsidering the city’s policies on bathroom and locker room access for trans students, but the schools chancellor quickly affirmed support for the policies, while City Hall officials said the mayor would fight for critical resources for students regardless of his personal opinion.
“While many talk about change, the Adams administration has always been about real, meaningful action, which means challenging the federal government’s unfair, illegal and actually impossible demand for New York City Public Schools to change a state law,” Nosanchuk said Thursday.
Last week, dozens of LGBTQ+ advocates, educators, parents and students gathered on the steps of City Hall to support the city’s current policies.
“ Trump and his allies are hell bent on spreading lies on scapegoating the transgender community,” City Councilmember Tiffany Caban said at a rally outside the city’s education department last week. “ We refuse to throw trans kids under the bus. … The Trump administration can try to blackmail us. They can try to starve our schools of funding, but we will not cower or bend before them.”
