Florida school district will not follow White House directive on transgender bathroom use

CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida school district will not follow the Obama administration directive to allow transgender students to use the bathroom and locker room corresponding with their gender identity, according to the superintendent.

Clay County Public Schools Superintendent Charlie Van Zant issued the statement Monday evening, saying the directive is overreach by the federal government.

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“This directive from the Obama administration does not carry the force of law, and you can be assured that we will not allow this intrusion by the federal government into your child’s school life,” Van Zant said.

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The directive is not a new law from the federal government but was rolled out by the Department of Justice and Department of Education as a reinforcement of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

This comes after Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti said his district will “continue” to follow federal law as it refers to discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity under Title IX.

"We have existing policy that was passed by the school board in 2008 and 2012 … that protects the individual rights of students based on race, color, gender identity, sexual orientation and gender in general," Vitti told Jacksonville's WOKV.

St. Johns County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Joseph Joyner hasn't publicly taken a position on the directive yet.

Cox Media Group