State Superintendent Thurmond Responds to United States Department of Education’s Backward Step on Title IX Protections

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond issued a public statement on social media and a “Dear Colleague” letter to all California local educational agencies (LEAs) on Friday, in response to the “Dear Colleague” letter sent to all schools by the United States Department of Education (ED) on Friday morning.

While the letter sent by Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor rolled back Biden administration rules that extended Title IX protections to students on the basis of gender identity, Thurmond’s letter and public statement affirmed that California schools will continue extending protections against discrimination to all students on the basis of gender, gender expression, gender identity, and sexual orientation:

"In California, “all” still means all. While the Trump Education Department announced that they will no longer protect all students from discrimination, California law is unaffected by recent changes to federal policy and continues to provide safeguards against discrimination and harassment based on gender, gender expression, gender identity, and sexual orientation. While federal guidance devolves, our commitment to safeguarding the rights of all students persists."

For questions from members of the media, please reach out to CDE Communications at communications@cde.ca.gov.

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Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100