Senate Committee Pushes Back on Federal School Bathroom Rules

In reaction to the Obama Administration’s guidance letter instructing public schools to accommodate transgender students or risk losing federal funding, the Senate Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget approved a bill pushing back at the federal overreach.

President Pro Tem Brian Bingman is the author of Senate Bill 1619.

“The Senate believes in local control of schools because parents and teachers are best equipped to make decisions on what’s best for students. Senate Bill 1619 doesn’t provide instruction on whether schools should follow the recent edict of the federal government. This bill isn’t a commentary on transgender students. Senate Republicans want schools to provide a safe and nondiscriminatory environment for all students. This measure is about doing what’s best for all students in Oklahoma schools by ensuring schools that make the decision to accommodate transgender students regarding showers and locker room facilities also accommodate students who would object to those arrangements because of their deeply held religious beliefs,” Bingman said.

SB 1619 also gives the Attorney General the power to represent a school district or employees in legal challenges.


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