Ryan Walters Holds Special Meeting Against Title IX Change

State Superintendent Ryan Walters called for a special board meeting today to discuss a proposed rule change to the US Department of Education's Title IX. The proposed change would penalize schools for banning transgender students from participating on teams consistent with their gender identity.

Walters shared his strong opposition to the change, saying if the Biden administration goes through with the Title IX rule change, he plans to sue the federal government.

“One of the most outrageous things we've ever seen from a president,” said State Superintendent Ryan Walters. “It shows the outrageous lengths the Biden administration will go to control our schools and control our state.”

Walters called a special state board meeting Wednesday, the first Board of Education meeting since a proposed rule change to Title IX last week. For the last 50 years, the law has been in place to eliminate sex-based discrimination in education.

The proposed change would penalize schools for banning transgender students from participating on teams consistent with their gender identity. 

“We know that there are two genders- that's not controversial here,” said Walters. “We do not want to institute a new definition of Title IX. We think this dramatic overreach.”

The state Board of Education agrees with Walters' thoughts on the change to Title IX.

“Oklahomans voted to protect women's sports- the save girls sports act, I have 4 daughters, I want them protected.”

Wednesday, the state board unanimously voted to send a report to the federal government. Each district will be required to file a special report containing the following:

1. A list of all interscholastic, club, or intramural sports offered by each school in that

district.

2. The grade levels that may participate in each such listed sport.

3. Which grade levels, if any, of each sport offer separate teams for men and women.

4. A copy of any policies the school district follows in addition to 70 O.S. § 27-106

regarding sports teams separated by sex (such as OSSAA or a local school board policy).

5. A list of sports teams, if any, that do not comply with 70 O.S. § 27-106.

“We will continue to enforce our state law to keep boys out of girl's sports. To reject this latest endeavor of what they like to call diversity, equity and inclusion, which seems to always have a negative detriment to the majority of those involved in it,” said Walters.

If the report sent to the federal government doesn’t stop the proposed rule change, Walters says the next step is legal action.

“To allow this woke ideology to have this kind of impact on our young girls will not be tolerated in the state of Oklahoma,” said Walters.

Walters is giving all districts across the state 21 days to outline what their current sports programs look like and submit those to OSDE. The board will go over the reports over the following seven days, and submit their findings to the federal government.

The proposed rule also recognizes that in some instances, particularly in competitive high school and college athletic environments, some schools may adopt policies that limit transgender students' participation. To read the full rule change, click here: https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/fact-sheet-us-department-educations-proposed-change-its-title-ix-regulations-students-eligibility-athletic-teams