FL Schools Should Disregard Biden’s Protections For LGBT Students: DOE

FLORIDA — Florida’s top education official has warned schools across the state against following guidance from President Joe Biden’s administration that expanded protections for LGBTQ+ on campuses, according to multiple reports.

Public school leaders were told to disregard directives from the president that strengthened protections for transgender youth under the federal Title IX gender equity law, according to Politico.

Complying with these federal policies from the U.S. Department of Education could lead to legal problems for the schools, according to a memo from Florida’s Education Commissioner Manny Diaz.

He said the policies are “are not binding law, do not create any new legal obligations, and should not be treated as governing law” in the Sunshine State, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported.

According to the Tallahassee Democrat, the commissioner added, “The Department will not stand idly by as federal agencies attempt to impose a sexual ideology on Florida schools that risk the health, safety, and welfare of Florida students.”

To mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX, which protects students from sexual discrimination at in the classroom and at school programs and activities, in June, Biden and the federal Department of Education announced amendments to the law to include protections related to sexual orientation and gender identity.

“Over the last (50) years, our nation has made monumental progress in advancing equity and equality for all students, including by narrowing gender gaps in sports, expanding opportunities in science and technology fields, and protecting students from sex discrimination, including sex-based harassment and sexual violence,” the president said in a statement released by the White House.

He added, “Yet there is more work to do. As we look to the next (50) years, I am committed to protecting this progress and working to achieve full equality, inclusion, and dignity for women and girls, LGBTQI+ Americans, all students, and all Americans.”

In a statement, Equality Florida, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, condemned the Florida Department of Education’s weaponizing of Biden’s expanded federal nondiscrimination protections.

“While Governor DeSantis and Commissioner Diaz are intent on weaponizing state agencies in their war on transgender youth, the fact remains: the U.S. Department of Education has said unequivocally that students are to be protected from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” the organization said.

Equality Florida continued, “The DeSantis administration repeatedly puts the political ambitions of the Governor over the wellbeing of Florida's students and the result is a state that is increasingly more hostile toward and unsafe for young people. LGBTQ students exist. The federal government has recognized that they are protected from discrimination. Even as the governor attempts to bolster his right-wing bonafides by hurtling our state toward full-tilt authoritarianism, school districts across Florida should remain committed to protecting all students.”