California sued the U.S. Department of Education after federal officials demanded corrective actions, alleging the state improperly bars schools from disclosing students’ gender transitions to parents. Attorney General Rob Bonta filed in federal court to block ED enforcement and to protect state laws such as AB 1955; the Education Department had warned of withholding nearly $4.9 billion in federal K‑12 aid if corrective steps weren’t taken. Simultaneously, state lawmakers in Iowa and Kansas are considering bills to restrict how race, gender and sexuality are taught in some college courses and to curtail campus DEI activities. The parallel moves underscore a widening policy split between federal civil‑rights enforcement priorities and state legislatures crafting local curriculum and disclosure rules.