Florida, Oklahoma instruct schools to ignore Biden's Title IX changes, pending legal challenges
The state governments in Oklahoma and Florida are telling schools not to conform to President Biden's changes to Title IX policies.
Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced Thursday morning that he has instructed schools within his state not to comply with the Biden administration's changes to Title IX, which include gender identity protections.
"In discussion with several other state education leaders and legal counsel, there are some serious concerns with the legality of these rule changes, especially as it relates to its redefinition of 'sex' to include gender identity," Walters wrote in a letter to state superintendents.
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Walters said in his announcement that he expects legal challenges to the Title IX alterations in the coming days and urged schools to refrain from implementing changes until the matter is settled.
"Please do not make any district policy changes based on the new Title IX regulations," Walters instructed state educators. "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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Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. announced a similar intention to fight the Title IX changes on Wednesday, calling the new guidelines absurd.
"The Biden Administration maims the statute beyond recognition in an attempt to gaslight the country into believing that biological sex no longer has any meaning," Diaz said previously.
Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Diaz and Walters but did not receive a response.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., also signaled a coming legal battle, writing on social media, "This rule is a wish list for the far left, including unlawfully expanding the scope of the rule off campus, lowering due process protections for students accused of misconduct, entrenching kangaroo courts, and delinking ‘sex discrimination’ from biological sex."
The Biden administration unveiled the new rules last week to address concerns expressed by LGBTQ+ groups regarding gender identity protections.
New regulations included expanding the definition of sex discrimination to include both sexual orientation and gender identity, which the president's administration touts as protection for LGBT students.
"No one should face bullying or discrimination just because of who they are, who they love," Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said. "Sadly, this happens all too often."
The unveiled rule changes also rolled back regulations put in place by former Trump Education Secretary Betsy DeVos that ensured due process for the accused.
Fox News' Julia Johnson and Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.