The city is suing the federal government over nearly $50 million in funding for magnet schools it pulled over the city’s policies regarding transgender students.
The city’s public schools have long allowed transgender students to use restrooms, locker rooms and changing rooms, and play on sports teams, matching their gender identity. But the federal government says that violates Title IX and demanded the city separate students in those spaces based on their biological sex. Doing so would violate state law in New York.
In the filing, the city education department argues the funding had previously been approved, and that the new interpretation of Title IX “puts politics before public schools” and is contrary to the law.
The suit comes after the mayor has previously said he does not believe students of different sexes should share facilities but acknowledged he could not change the law.
In a statement Thursday, city Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos vowed to fight back against attacks on the magnet program, and on transgender and gender expansive students.
“My deepest commitment is to provide our magnet students, our transgender and gender expansive students, and every single student at New York City Public Schools with the ability to thrive academically and socially; to achieve that, my team and I work tirelessly to ensure every student feels seen, supported, and safe,” Aviles-Ramos’ statement reads. “We use every possible tool to do that, as today’s legal action demonstrates.”
In a statement, a federal education department spokesperson said the lawsuit has “no merit.”
“The MSAP program requires certification of civil rights compliance, which we could obviously not do in the face of NYC’s continued determination to violate the rights of female students under Title IX,” the spokesperson’s statement reads.