Education often emerges an emotionally charged issue when parents engage and advocate for their children, especially when those children attend public government schools that do not share the values of parents. However, education is more than a hot topic–it is a spiritual battleground. When education is weaponized by individuals who value political indoctrination over academic proficiency, Christian citizens must recognized schools as the new battleground for the souls of a generation. Children shouldn’t wonder if God made a mistake when He made them a boy or a girl. They shouldn’t be taught that they are an oppressor or a victim because of their skin color, or that people of their ethnicity are so privileged that they don’t deserve the same treatment, opportunity, or value as other students. Children deserve to have their identity nurtured by loving families and genuine faith–not political agendas.
And the tide is finally beginning to turn. Education has been in the headlines regularly since the start of 2025 as sweeping judicial and executive actions are steadily restoring Congressional intent and constitutional good governance.
On January 9th, 2025 a federal judge issued a significant ruling declaring the Biden administration’s radical Title IX policy to be unconstitutional. In 1972, when the US Congress passed Title IX into law to protect civil rights in federally funded education program, they sought to provide protection on the basis of sex. President Biden’s executive administration adopted revolutionary federal rules for enforcing Title IX that had the effect of law, redefining “sex” to include gender identity, sexual orientation, and sexual expression and directly conflicting with the clear intent of the Legislative branch. In practice, this executive rule-making meant that a biological male, on the basis of his self-proclaimed gender identity or sexual orientation, could disadvantage the very same female students and athletes that Congress sought to protect when they passed TItle IX. There were several other constitutional concerns with this rule-making, but thankfully on January 9, 2025, a federal judge struck down this unconstitutional rule-making.
As Chief Judge Reeves wrote in his opinion on this case, “Congress gave the Department authority to issue rules, regulations, and orders to effectuate Title IX’s prohibition on sex discrimination consistent with the objectives of the statute. See 20 U.S.C. § 1682. However, the Department exceeded that authority in issuing the Final Rule and the text of Title IX shows why. Put simply, there is nothing in the text or statutory design of Title IX to suggest that discrimination “on the basis of sex” means anything
other than it has since Title IX’s inception…expanding the meaning of “on the basis of
sex” to include “gender identity” turns Title IX on its head.” (Tennessee V. Cardona: scroll to the bottom of this article to read the entire ruling). This ruling marked a significant victory of rule of law and original intent, as well as equal protection for female students and athletes across the nation.
There have been other significant developments and endeavors to restore constitutional good governance this year. Immediately following the inauguration of of the current administration, executive orders were released clarifying the meaning and practical interpretation of “sex” by the executive branch, which responsible for carrying out and enforcing the laws of the land. President Trump’s Executive Order on Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government uses scientific differences between male and female individuals present at conception to clarify that ‘“Sex” shall refer to an individual’s immutable biological classification as either male or female. “Sex” is not a synonym for and does not include the concept of “gender identity.”’ On February 5, 2025, President Trump signed an additional Order Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports authorizing his executive branch to take “all appropriate action to affirmatively protect all-female athletic opportunities and all-female locker rooms and thereby provide the equal opportunity guaranteed by Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972…” The new administration has also worked to eradicate the discriminatory effects of so called “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) initiatives in education through an administrative letter and an executive order signed earlier this week to Reform Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education.
While federal policy is swiftly reverting back to plain standards of biological truth and a healthy respect for the constitutional roles of the various branches of government, the war continues to wage at the state level. On February 5th, state attorneys general issued a collective press release on behalf of 15 states including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin, pledging to “continue to enforce state laws that provide access to gender-affirming care, in states where such enforcement authority exists, and we will challenge any unlawful effort by the Trump administration to restrict access to it in our jurisdictions.” Emboldened by this declaration, public universities in California, Pennsylvania, Maine and Massachusetts reportedly continued to allow “transgender” students to complete with the opposite biological sex. Title IX complaints were filed and are now under investigation in all four states, except Maine, where the investigation has already led to the the US DOJ bringing federal charges against the state.
Within the state of Michigan, where the state’s Elliot Larsen Civil Rights Act offers expanded protections on the basis of “sexual orientation, gender identity or expression,” the State Superintended of Public Instruction, Dr. Michael Rice, issued guidance (included at the bottom of this article) through the Michigan Department of Education pushing back at these federal actions. Regarding federal guidance alleging the harms of DEI and other race-based discrimination, Dr. Rice encouraged MI schools to maintain DEI programing stating his opinion that the programs in question did not violate Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act. With regards to Title IX, he went event further, stating “Neither a presidential executive order nor federal regulations, whether related to federal funding or not, can superseded or otherwise set aside our obligation to comply with a validly enacted state anti-discrimination law. Sate Civil rights law remains the law.” The problem with the Superintendent’s guidance is that is patently disregards the fact that Title IX itself remains a duly enacted federal law, which constitutionally supersedes inferior state law. The Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution (Article VI, Clause 2), states:
“This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.” (emphasis added)
In short, Title IX as passed by Congress, is the supreme Law of the Land and is not preempted by inferior state law. Guidance to disregard the supreme Law of the Land could have devastating effects on the fiduciary health of public schools at all levels and the students they serve. Citizens must hold the line for compliance with the rule of law if federal victories are ever going to reshape communities and states.
While federal policies reset and law-fare and power struggles ensue, the education of a generation of children hangs in the balance. At the local level, school board members and engaged citizens must raise up a standard for sound public policy that promotes safe environments where children can get a real education, and where both male and female students from every people group have real, equal opportunities. Yes, the tide is beginning to turn in the war for education. Hope is on the horizon….but realizing victory on the ground is going to take all of us.
What you can do:
+ Attend your local school board meetings, stay informed, and share your concerns respectfully during public comment
+ Attend your regional ISD meetings and share your concerns respectfully during public comment
+ Pray about whether you are called to serve in local office / school board
+ Respectfully communicate your concerns to your state legislators through emails, handwritten notes, phone calls, or office visits. Consider attending their coffee hours and community events. You can find your state Michigan Senator and Representative here: https://legislature.mi.gov/
+ If you have concerns with actions of the State Board of Education, consider writing to Dr. Rice, the State Board Members, and the governor’s office to respectfully share your concerns.
+ Report any concerns about potentially unlawful discrimination using this portal and ask that the situation be investigated and that the rule of law be upheld: https://enddei.ed.gov/
+ Pray for all elected officials and ask God to use them to pass righteous policy according to His good purpose. See our prayer guide here: https://www.slgwitness.com/prayer-guide/prayer-guide-for-government-the-rule-of-law/
Source Documents:
The PDF below is the “Dear Colleague” Letter from the new administration,
Cheif Justice Reeve’s complete ruling in Tennessee V. Cardona, which overturned the previous administration’s radical Title IX Rule.
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