From executive amnesty, to unilateral gun control, the Obama Administration has never been one to let the Constitutional separation of powers stand in the way from pursuing a liberal agenda, but its latest directive is truly beyond the pale and, ultimately, dangerous.
This morning, officials at the Department of Justice and the Department of Education sent a letter to school districts across the country outlining new steps that schools must take in order to accommodate transgender students. Under this sweeping directive, all it would require is a simple note from a parent or guardian in order for a student to be granted access to the bathroom that corresponds with their gender “identity” rather than the gender indicated on their birth certificate. Worse, the Obama Administration is threatening to withhold federal funding from schools that don’t comply.
We all agree on the right of every student to be treated with dignity and respect, but that right must also exist alongside students’ rights to privacy and safety in their own schools. By forcing students to potentially share a restroom with someone who is biologically of the opposite sex, this directive fails to strike that balance. As a grandmother of young girls, I believe the Obama Administration is now directly responsible for endangering our students.
It is worth noting that this letter does not carry the force of law. In my view, the Obama Administration lacks the authority to carry out this directive and Tennesseans should not feel compelled to comply. I encourage Tennessee school officials to continue following their consciences. Our principals, superintendents, and state administrators know better than President Obama or any Washington bureaucrat what it takes to serve the needs of their specific student population.
Going forward, we have to protect the rights of states like ours to make our own choices when it comes to how to best provide for our students. That is why, later this year when appropriations bills come to the House floor to fund each area of government for the next fiscal year, I plan to introduce an amendmentbanning the Department of Education from penalizing states that take action to protect students from this dangerous and illogical decree.
We can’t let the Obama Administration bully our schools into conforming to a political agenda. It’s time this President realized that one student’s comfort does not trump another student’s right to personal safety.
