South Dakota Department of Education chief asks schools to defy Biden administration Title IX rule
Letter from Education Secretary Joe Graves asks districts to ignore rule as state sues
A new rule from the U.S. Department of Education preventing discrimination based on “gender identity” should be ignored by South Dakota schools, says state Secretary of Education Joe Graves.
Citing concerns that adoption would erode existing protections offered to female students by Title IX — first adopted in 1972 to prevent discrimination based on biological sex in government-funded schools — Graves sent a letter to South Dakota’s school districts urging them to not make any changes because of the rule. Graves also writes that he fears the changes could harm First Amendment rights.
He cited Attorney General Marty Jackley and over 20 other attorneys general announcing they’ll sue the federal government over the changes as a reason to forego adoption in the short-term.
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