Among the issues at stake in this year’s presidential election is whether schools will be forced to implement President Biden’s radical view of gender, an extreme perspective out of step with Kentucky law and the views of most Kentuckians.

The Biden administration recently released a new interpretation of the federal government’s Title IX law, which was created to prevent discrimination against females in education. Biden has interpreted the law in a way no author of the original legislation ever imagined: that “sex” is whatever gender identity an individual claims to be.

This means schools in every Kentucky community will be forced to let students use the facilities of the opposite gender, and for school employees to treat students as if they were a gender different than their biological sex. Biden is working on a separate set of regulations that will force female athletes to compete against biological males in school sports.

Schools that don’t comply could lose their federal funding, including special education services and access to the free and reduced lunch program.

All of this contradicts Kentucky law, which, despite vetoes from Gov. Andy Beshear, has been amended in recent years to protect the privacy of children in Kentucky schools and the rights and dignity of female athletes.

As a result, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman joined 26 other states in suing the federal government to stop the implementation of Biden’s regulations. A federal judge recently order a halt to the rules in Kentucky and nearby states, although the administration will appeal.

“The Biden Administration’s new rule would rip away 50 years of Title IX’s protections for women and put entire generations of young girls at risk,” Coleman said in announcing Kentucky’s participation in the lawsuit.

Noticeably silent so far has been the new Kentucky commissioner of education. Robbie Fletcher was recently confirmed by the Kentucky Senate, replacing a controversial predecessor who pursued a Biden-esque education philosophy totally out of step with ordinary Kentuckians.

Upon his confirmation, Fletcher said building relationships across all of Kentucky’s education constituencies would be a top priority. It’s not yet clear what that means for his relationship with Kentuckians who believe that there are only two genders, and switching is not possible.

In at least 11 other states, the chief state school officer has directed schools not to comply with the Biden regulations. Fletcher should have followed suit since Kentucky law is clear on this matter.

Of course, schools should treat children who legitimately struggle with gender dysphoria with compassion. Kentucky law stipulates that schools should make reasonable accommodations for such students as long as they are not given blanket access to facilities designated for the other biological sex.

It is not the place of the federal government to usurp states and local officials in interpreting the education implications of something as fundamental as the meaning of male and female.

Unfortunately, lawsuits take years to process, so voters can only hope for a different president to reverse this bizarre interpretation of Title IX.

In fact, Donald Trump has promised to do exactly that.

— Gary Houchens is director of the educational leadership doctoral program at Western Kentucky University.