Education Department opens probes into schools over same-sex kissing and testosterone exhibit claims

The U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday that it is investigating allegations involving a Denver high school teacher who allegedly required same-sex students to kiss in front of their classmates, as well as a Washington state school district that displayed vials of testosterone in a Pride Month exhibit.

The investigations will examine whether Denver Public Schools and the Bethel School District, located about an hour south of Seattle, violated a federal law that allows parents to opt out of school surveys or evaluations involving topics such as sexual behavior or attitudes, according to the department.“Parents must be the decision-makers in matters impacting the most intimate parts of their children’s lives,” Frank Miller, director of the Education Department’s Student Privacy Policy Office, said in a statement.Denver Public Schools spokesman Scott Pribble said the district placed the teacher on administrative leave and conducted an investigation after students raised concerns in March 2025.

He did not provide details about what prompted the students’ complaints.The Trump administration has opened dozens of investigations into schools that make accommodations for transgender and LGBTQ+ students (Roberto Schmidt / AFP via Getty Images)The Board of Education fired the teacher in May, he said.“The safety, emotional well-being, and dignity of our students are the absolute highest priorities of DPS,” the statement said.

“Our actions to date have been wholly consistent with those priorities.”Bethel School District said in a statement that the vials in a display at Graham-Kapowsin High School in June were not authorized by school administrators and were immediately removed and turned over to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office.Testosterone is prescribed for gender-affirming care.

The district added that it will cooperate fully with the Education Department's investigation.The two districts are in states headed by Democrats. President Donald Trump is a Republican.

The Trump administration has opened dozens of investigations into schools that make accommodations for transgender and LGBTQ+ students, often taking aim at districts that allow students to use bathrooms or locker rooms that align with their gender identities. It accused Denver schools last year of violating Title IX protections against sex-based discrimination over such a bathroom policy.Trump officials have also pushed against schools accused of keeping information about students’ gender identities confidential from their parents, which the department says is a violation of federal privacy laws.

The Education Department tied the new investigations to National Parents’ Day on Sunday. The agency said it will be announcing “significant actions” involving the enforcement of parental rights laws through the week.The display at the high school in the Bethel district contained some vials with a “small amount of unknown liquid,” the district said in its statement.

Pierce County Sheriff's Deputy Carly Cappetto said school administrators identified the student who brought the vials to campus. The sheriff's office would test the liquid to determine whether it was testosterone — a controlled substance — if prosecutors made that request, she said.An email to the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney's Office was not immediately returned.

The district said in its statement it is reviewing its protocols for overseeing displays to “ensure all school materials strictly align with our educational standards and community expectations."“Our primary focus remains on maintaining a safe, respectful, and focused learning environment for all of our students,” it added.Join our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments