Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Friday blasted the directive from President Barack Obama's administration that public schools must permit transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their chosen gender identity.
"The recent letter from the federal government providing guidance to Arkansas schools on gender identification is offensive, intrusive and totally lacking in common sense," Hutchinson said in a statement. "There is no recognizable problem in Arkansas on this issue. The federal government is stirring the pot and meddling in the local control and administration of our schools."
The guidance from leaders at the departments of Education and Justice says public schools are obligated to treat transgender students in a way that matches their gender identity, even if their education records or identity documents indicate a different sex.
"There is no room in our schools for discrimination of any kind, including discrimination against transgender students on the basis of their sex," Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement accompanying the directive, which is being sent to school districts Friday.
Hutchinson said local school districts should "disregard the latest attempt at social engineering by the federal government and continue to use common sense to ensure a safe and healthy environment."
"While the letter implies federal money could be withheld, the letter is nothing more than guidance and is not legally binding," the governor added.
U.S. Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge and Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin also criticized the directive in statements Friday.
Boozman said the guidance was a "shameful overreach by President Obama to push his beliefs on Arkansans and all Americans."
"Threatening our schools with lawsuits or the loss of federal funding for failing to comply with this directive is the latest power grab by this Administration," Boozman said.
Rutledge called it a "radical and outrageous policy" that "drastically expands the federal government’s role in our local schools and raises serious safety concerns for students and parents."
“The President is taking his abuse of power to a new level today by forcing a liberal social agenda on school-age children,” Rutledge said.
Griffin said the directive is a "so-called 'solution' where no problem exists."
"The Obama Administration's Justice Department spends its time pushing liberal dogma on the American people instead of focusing on the many serious problems facing the country," Griffin said.
The guidance does not impose any new legal requirements. But officials say it's meant to clarify expectations of school districts that receive funding from the federal government. Educators have been seeking guidance on how to comply with Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs and activities that receive federal funding, Education Secretary John B. King said in a statement.
Asked about the directive after a meeting of the State Board of Education on Friday, incoming Little Rock Superintendent Michael Poore said he was not familiar with the specifics of the president's plan but that it was important to be sensitive to the needs of students.
"Good schools, good superintendents work with these families to understand what their needs are," Poore said.
Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.