What You Should Know:
– The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through its Administration for Children and Families (ACF), has terminated California’s Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) grant.
-The termination follows California’s refusal to remove “radical gender ideology” from the federally funded education program, which is designed to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.
Rejecting Mandate to Change Sex-Ed Curriculum
The ACF’s decision to take action follows a review of California’s PREP curriculum. The curriculum was found to contain content that encouraged children to consider “mutilating their genitals,” “altering their body…through hormone therapy,” and “adding or removing breast tissue”. It also instructed teachers to remind students that “some men are born with female anatomy”.
The termination is the result of a series of communications between the ACF and California.
- March 2025: The ACF requested that California submit its PREP curricula for review. During the review, the ACF identified gender ideology content that it determined exceeded the program’s statutory purposes.
- June 2025: The ACF demanded that California remove all content that was outside the scope of the PREP statute within 60 days, specifically mentioning the “copious references to gender ideology”.
- August 2025: California responded to the ACF, stating that it would not make the required modifications, which led the ACF to terminate the grant.
Push for Program Compliance
The ACF’s action against California is part of a broader effort to ensure all PREP grantees comply with statutory requirements. Earlier this year, the ACF instructed all PREP recipients to submit their curriculum for review. The agency has identified similar content in other states and territories and plans to notify them soon, requiring similar modifications within 60 days. States that fail to comply will face similar enforcement actions.
“California’s refusal to comply with federal law and remove egregious gender ideology from federally funded sex-ed materials is unacceptable,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison. “The Trump Administration will not allow taxpayer dollars to be used to indoctrinate children. Accountability is coming for every state that uses federal funds to teach children delusional gender ideology.”
The termination letter to California can be found here.
