(TargetLiberty.org) – On Tuesday Arkansas enacted a law that would block transgender people in public schools from using the restroom of their gender identity. The bill was signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and it applies to all multi-person restrooms and locker rooms located in schools, including public and charter schools, from kindergarten all the way to 12th grade.
Alexa Henning, Sanders’ spokesperson in a statement noted that the Government had previously stated that her focus would be on laws that help protect and educate children. She proceeded to say that the “radical left’s woke agenda” did not belong in schools and that Arkansas was not going to be rewriting biology in order to appease “far-left advocates.”
The law will go into effect 90 days after the current legislative session ends on April 7 and will start being enforced before the 2023-24 school year starts.
According to the new law, schools are also expected to provide reasonable accommodations to transgender students, however, the measure does not provide schools with the funding to put these accommodations in place.
Superintendents, school administrators, and teachers who do not follow the prohibition could face a $1,000 fine from a state panel. Parents are also in a position to file private lawsuits in cases where the new law has not been enforced.
Republican Rep. Mary Bentley who sponsored the bill noted that every child has the right to “feel safe” and “comfortable” when visiting the restroom while at school.
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