Natchitoches Parents and Community,
As many of you have become aware, new Title IX regulations have been adopted by the federal government. These regulations have the potential to have far reaching impacts in our schools. The Board shares the concerns of the community and is taking immediate legal action, along with other districts in the state, to prevent the implementation of these new regulations in Natchitoches Parish Schools. President Benefield will convene a special called meeting on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at 5 p.m. in the NPSB Title I Media Center to express the board’s opposition to the proposed changes and to join the State of Louisiana and other Louisiana school districts in a federal lawsuit. No one disputes that there is always a need and desire to protect all children. Our concern lies in how the new regulations expand Title IX into areas that Congress has intentionally chosen not to address, and with provisions that are grossly inconsistent with Title IX’s history and legislative record. State Superintendent Dr. Brumley has already informed all Louisiana Superintendents not to change any policies in response to the USDOE announced rule changes. The Board is appreciative of the work of State Superintendent Dr. Brumley, Governor Landry, and Attorney General Liz Murrill for their prompt response and due diligence to address this matter. Our priorities for Natchitoches Parish schools will remain that student learning is our highest priority and student safety is our greatest responsibility. Attached is our proposed resolution we will vote on tomorrow and Dr. Brumley’s letter to Louisiana Superintendents and School Boards.
Sincerely, The Natchitoches School Board
Here is Dr. Brumley's' letter
FROM: Dr. Cade Brumley, State Superintendent of Education
SUBJECT: Response to New Federal Title IX Rules
On Friday, April 19, 2024, the U.S Department of Education (ED) released new Title IX rules1, effective August 1, 2024, that expands the interpretation of discrimination on the basis of sex to include gender identity2 and other categories. For example, under the new Title IX rules, schools would be required to allow biological males who identify as females to receive access to women and girls’ locker rooms and school restrooms or face sanctions for a rule violation on the basis of sex discrimination. In another example, the new rule could force educators to reference students by names and pronouns not consistent with their biological sex and also erode parent notification of such student desires. It could also force schools to establish extensive bureaucracies to police free speech on campus. Furthermore, these new Title IX rules could be in direct contradiction with Louisiana’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, a law that affirms school-sanctioned athletic participation must be divided by biological sex unless the configuration is co-ed in nature. While ED claims these new rules do not speak to sports, the new rules explicitly mentions athletics over 30 times. Clearly, sports in Louisiana could be impacted by the new rules and, if implemented, create a conflict with Louisiana law. These new rules have been in development for nearly two years, and I have previously submitted comments in staunch opposition as it alters the long-standing definition that has created fairness and equal access to opportunity for women and men. At this time, my opposition to these new Title IX rules remains unchanged. The Title IX rule changes recklessly endanger students and seek to dismantle equal opportunities for females. Presently, my office is working with the Office of the Governor and our Attorney General to review the 1500-pages of new rules3 and determine their overall impact. It is inevitable that there will be a legal challenge to the new rules, contesting the unprecedented unilateral expansion of the long-standing prohibition against discrimination based on “sex” to include “sex stereotypes, sex related characteristics (including intersex traits) pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation and gender identity.” This expanded definition is unsupported by the text of Title IX, its implementing regulations, and the law’s extensive congressional history and record of debate and deliberation. This rule runs contradictory to the entire foundation of Title IX. The Louisiana Department of Education recommends that school systems maintain communication with their legal counsel on this matter. Further, it remains my position that schools should not alter policies or procedures at this time.
CC: Governor Jeff Landry, Attorney General Liz Murrill, Members of the The Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA)
Here is Attorney General Liz Murrill's response:
Today, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill is leading the charge against the Biden administration’s illegal expansion of Title IX rules, which would apply burdensome requirements on nearly every school, college, and university in Louisiana and across the nation. This would deprive women and girls of the equal educational opportunities they struggled for decades to secure, and cost states billions of dollars to implement.
For more than 50 years, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 has protected the rights of both sexes to fully participate in our education system without being subjected to discrimination on the basis of “sex”—a term Congress intentionally used to refer to the basic biological distinction between the human male and human female.
With the change, the Department of Education is eliminating these protections, which were especially meant to protect women and girls. The rules rewrite Title IX, requiring all schools, colleges, and universities that receive federal assistance across the country to disregard the concept of biological “sex.” In their view, prohibited discrimination on the basis of “sex” includes discrimination on the basis of “gender identity”—a term that has no defined or commonly accepted meaning.
The final regulations stand to harm students, parents, teachers, school districts, and states whose own constitutional rights are now in jeopardy, especially their right to Free Speech. If the school chooses not to comply, they risk losing essential Title IX funding while simultaneously facing lawsuits from the federal government and other proponents of these radical mandates. Yet this is also the outcome should the school fail to comply adequately, with standards remaining as vague as "gender identity" itself. In other words, Title IX funding is threatened whether you comply or not, creating an impossible situation for everyone involved.
“This is all for a political agenda, ignoring significant safety concerns for young women students in pre-schools, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities across Louisiana and the entire country. These schools now have to change the way they behave and the way they speak, and whether they can have private spaces for little girls or women. It is enormously invasive, and it is much more than a suggestion; it is a mandate that well exceeds their statutory authority. This all coming from the people who don’t even know how to define the word ‘woman.’ I’ll always stand up for children and families across this state,” said Attorney General Liz Murrill.
In the case, named Louisiana v. The U.S. Department of Education, Louisiana is joined by the States of Mississippi, Montana, and Idaho.