Superintendent: No need to obey transgender student policy

Source: www.deseretnews.com --- Friday, May 20, 2016
atlanta— Georgia's top education official said Friday that state school districts don't have to comply with the Obama administration's recent guidance that transgender students at public schools be allowed to use bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity. State Superintendent Richard Woods, a Republican, said the guidance, contained in a May 13 joint letter from the Departments of Education and Justice, "does not have the force of law." But the directive from President Barack Obama's administration says schools that refuse to comply could lose federal aid — nearly $2 billion statewide in Georgia for the coming year. "If the federal government does decide to withhold federal funds, enforce this directive, or bring suit against any district in Georgia because of a decision a local district makes, we will work with all parties to take appropriate action," Woods wrote to school district superintendents around the state. The federal guidance says civil rights law requires schools to provide "a safe and nondiscriminatory environment for all students, including transgender students." Courts so far have issued mixed rulings on whether transgender people are protected by federal civil rights law. Republican Gov. Nathan Deal earlier this week asked Woods to provide guidance to school districts. Deal and Attorney General Sam Olens didn't promise to take legal action against federal authorities as in other Republican- ...