Obama to public schools: Let transgender students use bathroom of choice or else
Thomson Reuters
The letter to school districts that will go out on Friday describing what they should do to ensure that none of their students are discriminated against is signed by officials of the Justice Department and Education Department, according to the Times.
It does not have the force of law but contains an implicit threat that schools which do not abide by the Obama administration's interpretation of the law could face lawsuits or a loss of federal aid, the newspaper said.
"No student should ever have to go through the experience of feeling unwelcome at school or on a college campus," John B. King Jr., the secretary of the Department of Education, said in a statement, according to The New York Times. "We must ensure that our young people know that whoever they are or wherever they come from, they have the opportunity to get a great education in an environment free from discrimination, harassment and violence."
The decree comes in the wake of North Carolina's House Bill 2, a law that prevents local governments from passing nondiscrimination ordinances and bans transgender people from using the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity.
The bill was passed through state legislature in a one-day special session in March and signed into law by Governor Pat McCrory hours later.
The US Department of Justice sued North Carolina on Monday, claiming the law violates the Civil Rights Act and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. McCrory filed a lawsuit earlier that day contesting the department's mandate to repeal the law.
Experts say the law puts more than $5 billion of federal funding at risk for the state, according to the Raleigh News & Observer.
- 2 states where home prices are falling because there are too many houses and not enough buyers
- US buys 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Russia's ally costing on average less than $20,000 each, report says
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- 9 health benefits of drinking sugarcane juice in summer
- 10 benefits of incorporating almond oil into your daily diet
- From heart health to detoxification: 10 reasons to eat beetroot
- Why did a NASA spacecraft suddenly start talking gibberish after more than 45 years of operation? What fixed it?
- ICICI Bank shares climb nearly 5% after Q4 earnings; mcap soars by ₹36,555.4 crore
- Nothing Phone (2a) blue edition launched
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market