A federal judge on Wednesday sided with Carroll ISD in its lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education over the Biden administration's changes to Title IX.
U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor vacated the rule, which would have added gender identity to the definition of sex under the 1972 statute to protect against sex discrimination.
While the LGBTQ+ youth advocacy organization GLSEN called the rule a “win for LGBTQ+ student safety and protection,” more than two dozen states — and Carroll ISD — rejected it.
A Kentucky judge last month vacated the rule nationally in one of several cases challenging the expanded law.
O’Connor said in his ruling the change “turns Title IX on its head” and violates the First Amendment.
Carroll ISD school board president Cam Bryan said when the district’s lawsuit was filed it was “about protecting our daughters and girls from boys accessing their bathrooms and locker rooms and competing on their athletic teams."
On Wednesday, Bryan declared victory, saying in a statement on the district’s Facebook page that the ruling affirmed the district’s dedication to a safe learning environment.
“We are committed to ensuring that Title IX continues to fulfill its foundational promise to prevent any form of discrimination based on sex in education,” he said.
The district was represented by attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian conservative legal advocacy group.
A Department of Education spokesperson told KERA in an email the department "does not comment on pending litigation."
Bill Zeeble is KERA’s education reporter. Got a tip? Email Bill at bzeeble@kera.org. You can follow him on X @bzeeble.
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