The U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday placed five Northern Virginia school districts on “high-risk status” after the systems declined to change policies that allow transgender students to use restrooms matching their gender identity. The designation means federal grants will be disbursed only through reimbursement, rather than in advance, and the department has started proceedings that could suspend or terminate future aid. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Arlington, Alexandria City, Fairfax County, Loudoun County and Prince William County public schools violated Title IX by providing access to sex-segregated facilities based on gender identity instead of biological sex. McMahon added that the districts “must now prove they are using every single federal dollar for a legal purpose,” asserting that repeated warnings had gone unheeded.