In response to a lawsuit from Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has agreed to automatically respect Title IX exemptions for all religious schools that apply for federal assistance for school lunches.
"Last Friday, the USDA put out new guidance that states that the religious exemptions apply automatically for all religious schools," relays ADF attorney Erica Steinmiller-Perdomo, who represents Grant Park Christian Academy in Tampa, Florida.
She says there had been a lot of confusion about what the Biden administration's new USDA non-discrimination policy meant for religious schools.
"After officials were quick to respond and grant the exemption specific to Grant Park Christian Academy, they now have issued new guidelines that apply to all religious schools, respecting the automatic exempt status of all religious institutions from the Title IX regulations," the attorney continues.
AFN has reported that because Grant Park Christian Academy receives funding for its school lunch program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the National School Lunch Program, it was expected to go along with the Biden administration's radical expansion of "sex" to include sexual orientation and gender identity, in violation of the school's religious beliefs, or lose their ability to serve low-income children free meals.
Days after getting hit with a federal lawsuit, President Joe Biden and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D-Florida) approved the school's request for a religious exemption.
"It shouldn't have taken a federal lawsuit, but it did take a federal lawsuit to get the federal government to jump into action in this case, to respond to Grant Park Christian Academy, and to lend clarity to all religious institutions who have been facing confusion -- and with school about to start," Steinmiller-Perdomo submits.
She says this would not have been resolved in such a timely manner had ADF not immediately gotten involved and filed a lawsuit.
