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Virginia School District Defies Feds Over Transgender Bathroom Issue

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INDEPENDENCE, Va. (AP) - A Virginia school board has approved an ordinance requiring students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that corresponds with the gender listed on their birth certificate.

Media outlets report that the ordinance was unanimously approved by the Grayson County School Board on Friday.

The move comes after President Barack Obama's administration told public schools that transgender students should be allowed the bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity.

Federal officials have said schools that refuse to comply could be hit with lawsuits from the government and face a cutoff of federal funding.

The Grayson County ordinance says a student can ask to use a separate facility, like a single-stall restroom. Superintendent Kelly Wilmore says the district does not currently have any transgender students.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.