NYC schools sue feds over $47M funding cut for transgender policies
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New York City Public Schools sued the U.S. Department of Education on Thursday over its $47 million cut in grants promised in response to schools’ policies toward transgender students.
The lawsuit seeks a reversal of the move to withdraw the grants.
City officials said the federal agency withheld funds without due notice or hearing after concluding that school policies that allowed transgender students to join sports teams and use bathrooms that matched their gender identity rather than biological sex violated Title IX, which prohibits discrimination based on sex in education.
Last month, the Department of Education gave New York City Public Schools until Sept. 23 to change policies or lose current and future funding for 19 private magnet schools.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FINDS DENVER SCHOOL’S GENDER BATHROOMS OF ANY KIND VIOLATE TITLE IX
New York City Public Schools sued the U.S. Department of Education after it cut $47 million in promised grants in response to the schools’ policies regarding transgender students. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
Under the policies, “male students who identify as women or transgender are granted unqualified access to women’s private spaces,” Craig Trainor, the agency’s assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a letter.
Many other school districts, including Chicago and Fairfax County, Virginia, received similar letters.
New York City school officials confirm that they are fully compliant with Title IX and that the federal department’s “new interpretation” conflicts with state and city laws against discrimination based on sex.
“The U.S. DOE’s threat to cut magnet funding by tens of millions of dollars unless we rescind our protections for transgender and gender-expansive students is contrary to federal, state, and local law, and not least to our values as New York City Public Schools,” Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos said in a news release. he said.
City officials said the federal agency withheld funds without required notice or hearing. (J. David Ake/Getty Images)
A Department of Education spokesman said the agency “sees no merit in this case.”
The spokesperson added that the magnet school grant program “requires certification of civil rights compliance, which we clearly cannot do in the face of NYC’s continued determination to violate female students’ rights under Title IX.”
Under Trump administrationFederal officials have sought to target school districts for policies that allow students to use bathrooms or join sports teams that match their gender identity.
Additionally, New York State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa this week ordered a school district in the suburbs of New York City to temporarily lift new bathroom restrictions for transgender students.
TRUMP ADMIN Pressed CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO REMOVE ‘Black Student Achievement Plan’
The Department of Education said the agency “sees no merit in this case.” (Istock/AndreyPopov)
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The Massapequa School District last month implemented a policy banning transgender students from using bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity rather than their biological sex.
The district said it would continue to offer a gender-neutral locker room and bathroom option “to any student who would be more comfortable using such space” following the commissioner’s order.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
