Transgender Directive

On May 13th 2016, the Texas Tribute published an article about the announcement of President Barack Obama new directive on transgender students.  The Obama administration instructed school districts in the country to let transgender students use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity.  The Lt. Governor, Dan Patrick disagrees and urges schools resist pressure from the government.  The Obama administration said they will withhold aid from schools that do not follow the directive.  Patrick feels that is a threat and will not stand to be blackmailed by the president of United States.  This will directly affect students that who rely on federal dollars for reduced cost lunches.  North Carolina recently had a debate that restricted transgender to access bathrooms.  Texas is now partnering with North Carolina to fight back.  Some wish Patrick were "as concerned with adequately funding public schools as he is with blowing up a non-issue”.  Many Texas leaders feels that Obama is intruding and this decision should be left up the to the state.  Obama directive stemmed from a Title IX, a federal statute that prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender at education institutions that receive federal funding.  Joy Baskin the director of legal services for the Texas Association of School Boards, mentioned that this does not represent a change in what we’ve understood from those departments in the past.  Current guidelines from the association advise districts to handle situations on a case-by-case basis to find solutions that are acceptable both to transgender students and students and parents who may have safety concerns.  Joy brings a good point that these issues are not new.