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BEMIDJI — Some Bemidji-area lawmakers object to a draft of the state’s new “toolkit” for school districts to address K-12 students who are transgender or do not conform to the gender binary.

Rep. Matt Grossell, R-Clearbrook, and Sens. Justin Eichorn, R-Grand Rapids, and Paul Utke, R-Park Rapids, and 64 other Republican legislators wrote a letter to Department of Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius that her department’s resources would be better spent elsewhere — rather than "advancing a progressive social agenda" — and that many parents are opposed to their children being exposed to “confusing” ideas of gender identity and fluidity.

“If the Minnesota Department of Education’s ‘Toolkit’ is approved and distributed to school districts, additional action will be considered to protect Minnesota children from this fraudulent and harmful agenda,” the lawmakers wrote.

The toolkit is designed to offer suggestions that school districts can use for the safety and support of transgender students and others with marginalized gender identities. It makes repeated references to state law and, notably, federal guidelines for transgender issues that were issued in 2016 and have since been withdrawn under the Trump administration.