DeSantis: Biden Admin Threatens Public School Lunch Funding Over Gender Ideology Compliance
June 2, 2022 Updated 1:52 P.M. ET
TALLAHASSEE (FLV) – Gov. Ron DeSantis’s office clapped back at the Biden Administration for threatening to pull federal school lunch funding if schools do not comply with gender ideology.
“It is appalling that the Biden Administration is threatening to withhold food from Florida public school children in order to advance a deranged political agenda – that Floridians have rejected,” said Governor DeSantis Press Secretary Christina Pushaw.
The Biden Administration will reportedly force schools to allow boys to use girls’ restrooms in order to receive assistance under the new rule.
“We will not allow Biden to force Floridians to choose between children’s food and parents rights,” Pushaw said. “That is the kind of ‘decision’ that a totalitarian regime would force upon its citizenry.”
In order for schools to receive money for student lunches, schools need to comply with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s interpretation of the ban on discrimination based on sex in Title IX.
That interpretation will now include discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The USDA pointed to President Biden’s January executive order where Biden said students should not be denied access to the restroom or sports based on their gender identity.
“The federal government has no authority to follow through on these threats, but Governor DeSantis will always remain vigilant in protecting Floridians from unconstitutional federal overreach,” Pushaw said.
Florida passed the Parental Rights in Education Act that banned teachers from teaching K-3 graders about gender ideology and sexual orientation. The law also requires parents be in the loop if their child talks with counselors regarding sexual orientation.
“In Florida, we will continue to defend opportunities for girls and women to participate in sports,” Pushaw said. “And, as a dad, Governor DeSantis will always stand for parents’ rights to make educational and healthcare decisions for their children.”
