The New York City Public Schools initiated legal action against the U.S. Department of Education on Thursday, challenging its decision to retract $47 million in previously promised grants due to the schools’ transgender student policies.
The lawsuit seeks to overturn the withdrawal of the grant money.
City authorities stated that the federal entity revoked the funds without providing the necessary notification or conducting a hearing. This action followed the agency’s conclusion that school regulations, which permit transgender students to participate in sports teams and utilize restrooms aligning with their gender identity rather than their biological sex, infringe upon Title IX, the law that prohibits discrimination based on sex in educational settings.
The Department of Education, in the prior month, mandated that New York City Public Schools revise these policies by a Sept. 23 deadline, or face the loss of both current and future funding for 19 specialized magnet schools.
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According to Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights at the agency, the policies allow “male students identifying as female or transgender unrestricted access to female private areas,” as stated in a written communication.
Comparable communications were sent to several other school districts, including those in Chicago and Fairfax County, Virginia.
New York City school representatives assert their full adherence to Title IX, countering that the federal department’s “new interpretation” clashes with state and city statutes against sex-based discrimination.
Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos stated in a press release that the “U.S. DOE’s threat to withhold tens of millions of dollars in magnet funding unless we rescinded our protections for transgender and gender expansive students runs counter to federal, state, and local laws, and, equally important, our principles as New York City Public Schools.”
A Department of Education spokesperson communicated that the agency “finds no basis for this lawsuit.”
The spokesperson further noted that the magnet school grant program “demands certification of civil rights compliance, which was clearly untenable given NYC’s continued resolve to infringe upon the rights of female students under Title IX.”
Under the Trump administration, federal officials had aimed to penalize school districts for their policies that allowed students to use restrooms or participate in sports activities aligning with their gender identity.
Furthermore, New York State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa instructed a school district in the New York City metropolitan area this week to temporarily suspend its recently instated restroom restrictions for transgender students.
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The Massapequa School District enacted a policy last month that prevents transgender students from using restrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their gender identities, instead of their biological sex.
Following the commissioner’s directive, the district announced its intent to continue providing a gender-neutral locker room and restroom option to “any student who may feel more at ease using such a facility.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
