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Enforcement ActionLow RiskMultistate

State AGs Sue DoE Over Unlawful Student Data Collection

Department of EducationMarch 11, 2026Connecticut Attorney General

Summary

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, joined by 17 other attorneys general, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education to block new IPEDS data reporting requirements that demand student information disaggregated by race and sex. The coalition argues the rushed implementation is unlawful, invades student privacy, and risks unreliable data and baseless investigations. They seek an injunction to halt the data collection and protect student privacy.

Remedy

The lawsuit seeks a court injunction to prevent the Department of Education from enforcing the new IPEDS data reporting requirements and to stop the collection of detailed student data, citing privacy and procedural violations.

Injunction

Contract Impact

In-house legal teams should review contracts for clauses that mandate data sharing with government entities, particularly regarding student information. Ensure contracts include robust data protection provisions, limits on data use, and compliance with privacy laws like FERPA. Assess risks associated with new federal reporting mandates and include indemnification for potential privacy violations or inadvertent errors.

Contract Search Terms

student data privacyIPEDS compliancefederal data reportingeducation data sharingprivacy by designdata minimizationgovernment data demandsadmissions data collectionrace and sex data disaggregationFERPA compliance

Violation Types

Entity Details

Entity

Department of Education

Industry

Other

Multistate Coalition

Official Sources

Source Evidence

Entity Name
"Department of Education"
Violation Types
"jeopardize student privacy"
Violation Types
"ED failed to provide definitions for critical terms"

Related Enforcement Actions

OR

Department of Education

Privacy enforcement action where Oregon AG and a coalition of 16 other states sue the Trump Administration to stop the Department of Education's new IPEDS data reporting requirements, arguing they jeopardize student privacy, lack proper definitions, and risk data errors and identification.

CT

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

On May 11, 2026, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong led a bipartisan coalition of 21 attorneys general in submitting a comment letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urging the agency to abandon draft guidance that would ease approvals for flavored e-cigarette products. The coalition argues the guidance ignores evidence that flavored e-cigarettes disproportionately drive youth addiction and that FDA has failed to enforce existing authorization requirements for e-cigarette products. The letter references past tobacco and e-cigarette enforcement actions, including the 1998 tobacco master settlement agreement and the 2022 $438.5 million settlement with JUUL Labs.

CT

Bad actor platforms

Connecticut’s legislature passed House Bill 5312, creating new civil enforcement mechanisms for deepfake digital sexual assault, including unauthorized dissemination of synthetically created intimate images and AI-generated child pornography. The bill establishes a private right of action for victims and empowers the Connecticut Attorney General to pursue civil injunctions and penalties against abusers and platforms hosting illegal content. This builds on prior Connecticut laws criminalizing unauthorized intimate image dissemination.

CT

None

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong praised final passage of House Bill 5312, which creates new civil enforcement mechanisms for deepfake digital sexual assault. The legislation allows the AG to pursue civil injunctions and penalties against platforms that disseminate illegal synthetic intimate images, including AI-generated child pornography, and establishes a private right of action for victims. The bill builds on prior Connecticut laws criminalizing unauthorized dissemination of intimate images.

CT

Made-in-China

$300K

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced a settlement with international trade platform Made-in-China to cease all U.S. sales of unlawful 'research grade' GLP-1 weight loss drugs following an investigation into direct sales to consumers without prescriptions or medical oversight. The settlement prohibits the platform from hosting GLP-1 sales to U.S. customers, requires a monitoring system to remove non-compliant listings, and imposes a $300,000 penalty suspended after an initial $30,000 payment. Additional settlements were announced with Radiance Medspa and Advanced Medical Weight Loss over compounded non-FDA approved GLP-1 drugs.

CT

social media companies

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong issued a statement on May 1, 2026, announcing the final passage of bipartisan legislation targeting youth social media addiction and artificial intelligence harms. The legislation imposes new obligations on social media companies regarding minor account settings, parental consent, and reporting, as well as requirements for AI chatbot operators and employers using automated decision tools. The statement also references ongoing enforcement actions against Meta and TikTok for allegedly designing addictive platform features for youth.