Chris Schulz Published

Schools Received New Federal Guidance On Title IX Enforcement 

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In a letter sent to K-12 schools across the country Friday, the U.S. Department of Education formally rescinded a 2024 Title IX policy that encouraged schools to respect the rights of transgender students.

Enforcement will revert to a 2020 rule that more closely aligns with President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14168 – Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism And Restoring Biological Truth To The Federal Government. The 2020 rule includes “the interpretation of ‘sex’ to mean the objective, immutable characteristic of being born male or female.”

Since 1972, Title IX has barred education programs or activities from discriminating or excluding participants on the basis of sex or risk losing federal funding. The 2024 policy expanded its interpretation of Title IX to include transgender students and allowing students to use the bathroom or play on sports teams that align with their gender identity, and also for teachers to use their preferred names or pronouns.

During his time as the state’s attorney general, Gov. Patrick Morrisey led a six-state lawsuit to block the policy. A U.S. district judge in Kentucky issued a decision vacating the rule earlier this month.

In a statement Friday afternoon, the governor said he was excited to see the Trump administration carry out their promise to protect safe and separate facilities in schools, along with activities that are separated by biological sex.

““When the woke virus infected the Biden administration’s Department of Education, I took them to court and successfully challenged their rewrite of Title IX, which was an appalling slight to women and girls,” Morrisey said. “I’m excited to see the Trump administration following through on their promise to protect their right to safe and separate facilities in schools, along with activities that are separated by biological sex.”