“This is the most outrageous example yet of the Obama administration forcing its liberal agenda on states that roundly reject it”, said Mississippi Republican Gov. Phil Bryant.
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The School District of Greenville County has received guidance from the United States Department of Education.
“The federal government has no business telling Oklahoma schools how they must operate when it comes to the use of school bathrooms”.
Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange issued a statement, which says in part, “School bathroom use is an issue that should be decided by parents, teachers, and principals- not federal bureaucrats”.
The guidance contained an implicit threat that school districts defying the Obama administration’s interpretation of the law could face lawsuits or be deprived of federal aid.
The letter, signed by federal justice and education department officials, tells school administrators they should ensure that all students, including those who are transgender, can attend school in an environment free from discrimination based on sex.
This morning, the White House and the Department of Education sent out a letter hoping to “settle” the debate over trans-gender rights in public schools.
“It would be wrong for the administration to withhold federal funding from public schools that choose to handle this sensitive matter in their own way”, said U.S. Sen. “At a time the rights of transgender students and men and women are under attack throughout the country – and even in our state – I applaud the Obama administration for establishing policies that will better provide all our children an opportunity to thrive”.
As soon as a child’s parent or legal guardian asserts a gender identity for the student that “differs from previous representations or records”, the letter says, the child is to be treated accordingly – without any requirement for a medical diagnosis or birth certificate to be produced.
“One: we haven’t had any students declare themselves to be transgender”.
“Not knowing that hours later, the President himself would say he would be the one to decide how local school districts are going to handle this issue”, Donalds said. They’re meant to accommodate transgender students, as well as any students who feel uncomfortable sharing a regular multi-stall bathroom or locker room with transgender students.
Rodgers says the district is still adapting to new policies.
Nationwide, 22 percent of transgender and gender non-conforming people report being denied access to appropriate bathrooms at work, and 26 percent report being denied access to bathrooms in an educational setting, according to a survey conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
“There has been a population of transgender students in our schools for a number of years”.
Schools will be directed to allow transgender students to use the bathroom matching the gender they identify with. Christie and I can make the decision to avoid retailers that have chose to allow transgender people to use either bathroom, but public school is the only option for our kids.
GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas said schools should disregard the directive, which he derided as “social engineering”.
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Lisa Wolf, Pinellas County Schools Public Information Officer:Pinellas County Schools respects and values the individual needs of our students.
