The U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation Wednesday into the Minnesota Department of Education following a complaint related to “transgender dolls,” it says will be used in schools.

In a complaint sent to the U.S Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office by the nonprofit group Defending Ed, parents expressed concerns that “their statutory and constitutional rights were violated as they were not notified or given the opportunity to opt their children out of an activity that used ‘transgender dolls’ in the classroom,” according to the department.

Defending Education, or Defending Ed, is a national organization that aims to “restore schools at all levels from activists imposing harmful agendas,” and “(fights) indoctrination in classrooms and on campus to promote the reestablishment of a quality, non-political education for all students,” according to its website.

The federal education department is investigating MDE to ensure compliance with the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, according to federal officials.

According to a website for the dolls, called MyGender Dolls, which have not yet been officially launched, they will support a “new play-based therapeutic approach for trans and gender diverse children — and the clinicians who support them.” The dolls are designed for children ages 4-10.

While the federal Department of Education said in its announcement that the dolls were developed via a taxpayer-funded University of Minnesota program, the team behind the dolls received no state or federal money for their development, according to University officials.

“The University of Minnesota is firmly committed to supporting the innovative research of our faculty and students. The team that developed MyGender Dolls participated in privately funded review competitions and received no state or federal dollars to support the development of the dolls or commercialization efforts,” U officials said in a statement Wednesday. “MyGender Dolls is a private, independent LLC, not affiliated with the University of Minnesota.”

And, despite a Fox News headline that says the dolls will be available under a program backed by Gov. Tim Walz, he has nothing to do with the dolls, according to the governor’s office.

“The Governor has no connection to this program. It was not developed or funded by the Minnesota Department of Education and is not being implemented in Minnesota schools under the Walz Administration,” officials with the governor’s office said in a statement Wednesday. “This entire story has been manufactured by right wing media to distract from President Trumps flailing economy and never ending war.”

When asked for comment on the investigation, an official with the Minnesota Department of Education said in an email Wednesday that the state department has no involvement with the MyGender Dolls study or program.