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Kansas school board ignores transgender decree

Kansas State Department of Education logoTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas school board members unanimously voted to ignore a federal directive that all public schools allow transgender students to use restrooms that match their gender identity, instead deferring to the regulations of school districts.

What remains unclear is whether or not the 10-0 vote will endanger over $479 million in federal aid, or about 10 percent of the state’s education budget.

Scott Gordon, general counsel for the state’s education department, said that the threat of loss of federal funding is not sweeping. The entire state would not lose federal education funding if one school is found out of compliance with the anti-discrimination law.

Gordon noted that only one transgender student filed a complaint for alleged discrimination with the Office of Civil Rights in 2015. Board members cited the low rate of incidents as proof that districts already have adequate regulations in place.

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