Chicago — A Florida official has told schools to ignore federal Title IX guidance on sex and gender discrimination, Yahoo News reported.
The U.S. Dept. of Education recently released a proposal to provide more clarity on the scope of the Title IX law, which prohibit sex-based discrimination in educational institutions.
The guidelines would extend protections to include schools’ “obligations not to discriminate based on sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation and gender identity.”
In response, Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. sent letters to school officials across the state that said guidance documents from the education department and the Dept. of Agriculture “are not binding law,” asking school officials to refuse to change their practices.
In the letter, he warned against making specific accommodations for transgender students.
“Specifically, for example, nothing in these guidance documents requires you to give biological males who identify as female access to female bathrooms, locker rooms, or dorms; to assign biological males who identify as female to female rooms on school field trips; or to allow biological males who identify as female to compete on female sports teams,” Diaz wrote.
Diaz’s letter came amid Gov. Ron DeSantis’ efforts to prevent what he calls “woke gender ideology” from classrooms. This year, DeSantis signed a bill that restricts instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation in schools.