Mississippi’s top school official has resigned from following new federal guidelines regarding transgender students using public school toilets. Dr. Carey Wright is the state superintendent of education. He issued a statement Wednesday morning stating: “Pending a conversation with the Mississippi State Board of Education. I am instructing Mississippi Department of Education. According to the statement, the Mississippi Department of Education will follow Title IX of Education Amendments of 1972 and the joint guidance issued today from the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education. Bryant and other Republican legislators have called for the state Education Department to change its course since Friday. Bryant stated that MDE should ignore the guidance issued by the Obama administration regarding restroom policies in public schools. This directive is not binding and does not have the force of law. These decisions should be left to the states and not at the point where a federal bayonet is used. Mississippi House members suggested that Wright should resign if she wasn’t prepared to reverse MDE’s acceptance of the federal guidance. States like Mississippi and North Carolina passed laws this year that allow individuals to use religious faith to deny public accommodations to lesbians, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons. Two federal court challenges have been filed against this religious freedom law in recent weeks. Mississippi Today was informed Tuesday by Dr. John Kelly (chairman of the 10-member board of education), that he hadn’t spoken to Bryant or legislative leaders, but had spoken to Wright. Kelly stated that he had spoken to Dr. Wright yesterday, and that he realized it was a policy decision on which he needed the input of her board. Kelly refused to comment on the possible direction that the board might take with respect to transgender student policies. She said that the board would be discussing the matter at its next meeting within the next week and half. To support this important work, you can make a regular donation to us today as part of the Spring Member Drive. Our reporters give a human face to policy’s impact on everyday Mississippians by listening more closely and understanding their communities. To ensure that our work is aligned with the priorities and needs of all Mississippians, we are listening to you. Click the button below to let us know what you think.