“The District will continue to align its practices to support its LGBTQ+ students in accordance with Board Policy 252 for transgender and gender non-conforming students.”
Philadelphia’s school district has stated that it will defy both President Donald Trump’s executive order barring biological males from competing against women as well as the commonwealth of Pennsylvania's athletics policy reflecting the executive order.
In a statement to Fox News, the School District of Philadelphia said that it "strives to ensure safety, equity and justice for all students regardless of gender identity or gender expression so that they can imagine and realize any future they desire. The District will continue to align its practices to support its LGBTQ+ students in accordance with Board Policy 252 for transgender and gender non-conforming students."
Policy 252 states that "Transgender and gender nonconforming students shall be permitted to participate in physical education classes and intramural sports in a manner consistent with their gender identity." and in the case of interscholastic competitive sports teams, "Participation in competitive athletic activities and contact sports will be resolved on a case-by-case basis."
This comes after the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) approved a revision to its policy barring trans-identified male athletes from women’s sports. Under the new policy, it defers to principals to determine a student’s "sex" when "questioned or uncertain." It also adds in a line that says in accordance with Trump’s order, "schools are required to consult with their school solicitors relative to compliance with the order."
Four states—California, Massachusetts, Maine, and Minnesota—are under investigation by the Trump administration’s Department of Education for refusing to comply with the order, which is in violation of Title IX. Attorney General Pam Bondi has warned those states to comply with the federal antidiscrimination laws for face legal action. The Biden administration reinterpreted Title IX to mean that instead of protecting women in schools and athletics, it protects men who think they are women as well.
"This Department of Justice will hold accountable states and state entities that violate federal law," she wrote in a letter, later adding, "We also stand ready to sue states and state entities that defy federal antidiscrimination laws."
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