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MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Federal Government Opens Investigation Into Minnesota Department of Education
ST. PAUL, MN (July 30, 2026). The U.S. Department of Education has opened an investigation into the Minnesota Department of Education following a complaint concerning educational and therapeutic materials designed to help children discuss gender identity and body development.
The federal department announced the investigation Wednesday, July 29, saying its Student Privacy Policy Office will examine whether Minnesota complied with the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment.
The investigation concerns materials marketed as MyGender Dolls. The product consists of paper dolls with interchangeable clothing, hairstyles, body features and other components. Its developers describe the materials as therapeutic and educational tools intended to help children communicate about their bodies, identities and experiences.
The opening of an investigation does not mean the Minnesota Department of Education has been found to have violated federal law.
The federal action follows a complaint submitted on behalf of parents who alleged that families had not received adequate notice or an opportunity to opt their children out of activities involving the materials.
The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment establishes federal requirements governing certain surveys, analyses, evaluations and instructional activities involving sensitive personal subjects. It also gives parents rights to inspect some instructional materials and, under specified circumstances, to consent to or remove their children from covered activities.
The federal government has not publicly established that the dolls have been adopted across Minnesota schools or required by the state.
The Minnesota Department of Education told FOX 9 that it has no plans to mandate the use of the dolls in Minnesota school districts during 2026.
That distinction is important because Minnesota school districts generally select their own instructional materials within state academic standards and applicable federal and state law. The availability of a privately developed resource does not, by itself, mean the resource has been adopted by the state or placed in classrooms.
The University of Minnesota also disputed claims about its present relationship with the product. In a statement provided to FOX 9, the university said the development team participated in privately funded review competitions and received no state or federal money to support the dolls’ development or commercialization.
The university said MyGender Dolls is now a private, independent limited-liability company and is not affiliated with the University of Minnesota.
KSTP’s review found that the materials grew out of work associated with the Eli Coleman Institute for Sexual and Gender Health at the university. According to the product’s website, the materials are designed for clinicians and educators working with transgender and gender-diverse children. At the time of KSTP’s review, the public website primarily offered a waiting list rather than evidence of a statewide classroom rollout.
The federal department said it is investigating whether Minnesota fulfilled its responsibilities under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment. It has not announced a timeline for completing the review.
Until the investigation is finished, claims that Minnesota has violated federal law remain allegations. It is also not yet clear which schools, if any, have used the materials, how they were used, whether parents were notified or whether the activities at issue fall within the specific provisions of the federal law.
Sources:
KSTP, “Fact Check on the University of Minnesota Gender Dolls Program,” July 27, 2026
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