CV NEWS FEED // Oklahoma’s and Louisiana’s state superintendents told school districts this week to not implement the Biden Administration’s changes to Title IX, warning that the changes are unconstitutional.
On April 19, the Department of Education issued changes to Title IX that expand the prohibition of discrimination based on biological sex to include discrimination of “gender identity” and “sexual orientation.”
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Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters and Louisiana Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley both sent letters this week to school district authorities explaining the immediate legal problems created by the changes.
“This re-definition [of ‘sex’ to include gender identity] could prohibit single-sex extra-curriculars, including athletics, scholarship programs, locker rooms, bathrooms, and any other activity or space that is exclusive to one sex,” Walters wrote in his letter to district superintendents.
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The changes violate essential protections for women and girls, Walters wrote, adding: “I believe these rule changes are illegal and unconstitutional.”
Both Brumbley and Walters noted in their letters that the changes are also likely in violation of the First Amendment, because the updated policies may penalize the refusal to use someone’s preferred pronouns.
According to The Hill, Brumley’s letter instructed that “the new Title IX rules likely conflict with Louisiana law, and schools ‘should not alter policies or procedures at this time.’”
The changes will technically go into effect on August 1, but Walters noted that he expects a legal challenge to soon be filed against the Department of Education for overstepping its authority in attempting to redefine “sex” in Title IX.
“Please do not make any district policy changes based on the new Title IX regulations,” he continued:
These federal rule changes are illegal and making policy changes before the courts come to a definitive ruling on the legality of these rules could put your district out of compliance with other current and legal state and federal statute.
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In an interview with the Washington Examiner on April 24, Walters slammed the Biden Administration for “eradicating women’s rights and putting women in danger.”
He continued, “This is why I’ve instructed every superintendent in my state to completely ignore Biden’s new Title IX changes that allow males to roam in female locker rooms, dorms, and bathrooms — places where women should feel safe.”
The Washington Examiner also reported that Walters sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on April 23 expressing his concerns about the changes.
“Title IX was designed to ensure women had the guarantee of sex equality in education and an environment free from discrimination. But with one pen stroke, you have set women’s rights back decades while weaponizing Title IX into a means to enforce the Administration’s radical ideological viewpoint,” Walters wrote.
He urged Cardona to reverse the changes to the Title IX regulations, which he described as “the most devastating attack on women’s rights in our country’s history.”
