The Ohio Board of Education on Tuesday passed a controversial resolution that would reject President Joe Biden’s amendment to Title IX designed to protect LGBTQ students from discrimination.
The board approved the resolution by a vote of 10-7 with one abstention, according to our news partners at WBNS.
Title IX is a federal law that has banned discrimination based on sex in school since 1972. On June 23, the U.S. Board of Education proposed an expansion to Title IX to include protection for students who face discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Ohio Board of Education continues to discuss LGBTQ+ resolution
An Ohio Board of Education member, Brendan Shea, introduced a four-page resolution that opposed the Biden Administration’s expansion to Title IX. It said that the law originally protects students from being discriminated against based on sex from a physiological standpoint, meaning sex assigned at birth.
The resolution also asks the legislature to approve a ban on teaching students in kindergarten through third grade about sexual orientation and gender identity, WBNS reported.
The expanded definition of Title IX requires schools to allow access to bathrooms, locker rooms and sports teams to transgender students. The goal of the expansion was to provide more protection for students against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Supporters urged the board to vote for the measure, saying it will prevent schools from shielding parents if their children identify as transgender, WBNS reported.
Opponents argue it will cause harm to transgender youth by outing them when they aren’t ready to tell their parents and will increase bullying in schools because they will not be a protected class.
Schools in Ohio that do not go along with Biden’s amendment risk losing federal funding for their school lunch program.
©2022 Cox Media Group
