More House Republicans stepped forward Wednesday to criticize elements of draft guidance from the State Board of Education pertaining to treatment of transgender students.

Specifically, they oppose recommendations - which are voluntary - that students be addressed by their "chosen name," pronouns that "correspond to their gender identity," and to allow students to use the restroom that's in accordance with their gender identity.

They say "gender should be clearly defined as biological," and that the policy takes away "parental rights." One Republican state representative said the Michigan Department of Education's budget should be "zeroed out" until the State Board revokes the proposed guidance and apologizes.

"This policy is evidence of a government bureaucracy run amok and goes well beyond their scope of educating our children," said Rep. Lana Theis, R-Brighton. "The board has no business trying to take away parental rights, and this ill-conceived policy would put the health and safety of our children at risk."

However, Rep. Kristy Pagen, D-Canton, said she supports the draft guidance.

"Allowing young people to use the name, pronouns and restrooms that conform to their gender identity is a move in the right direction," she said in a statement. "Continuing to advocate for inclusive policies like these will attract and retain young professionals and families."

On Tuesday, House Speaker Kevin Cotter, R-Mt. Pleasant, issued a statement that was critical of the guidelines, which, according to the State Board, are aimed at helping districts better serve students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning.

The guidelines are broad, and range from urging districts to adopt polices that protect LGBTQ students from harassment to designating a staff member who can provide students with information or support related to LGBTQ issues.

But what's primarily drawn controversy are the guidelines pertaining to transgender students.

In a news release, the board said the draft guidance was developed after school districts sought advice on how to address instances where transgender students felt they were being "marginalized, excluded and discriminated against."

The news release went on to stress that the guidelines are voluntary, and that the public has an opportunity to weigh in on them. According to the Michigan Department of Education, the public comment period ends April 11. The draft guidance will then go before the State Board for final approval on May 10.

State Rep. Gary Glenn, R-Midland, said the policy violates parental rights.

"This outrageous policy forcing K-12 girls to share their bathrooms, locker rooms, or showers with boys--and hide that bizarre, radical practice from parents--not only violates parental rights but threatens the privacy, security, and comfort of our public school students," Glenn said in a statement.

The draft guidance includes a provision stating that transgender students have the right to decide "when, with whom, and to what extent to share private information."

The guidance goes on to say that when contacting a transgender student's parent, school staff should use the student's "legal name and the pronoun corresponding to the student's assigned sex at birth, unless the student or parent/guardian has specified otherwise."

On Tuesday, John Austin, president of the State Board, defended the guidance. He said students who identify as LGBTQ face real struggles that impact their ability to do well in school, and creating an environment where such students feel supported and can succeed is important.

"We want to create an environment where they can feel comfortable and they can go about the important business of learning, which is what schools are about," said Austin, who added that the guidelines are still in draft form and could be clarified or changed based on public comment.

Rep. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, said a student's gender should be clearly defined, because of "safety purposes in public bathrooms."

Another Republican state representative, Thomas Hooker of Byron Township, said the Michigan Department of Education should have it budget "zeroed out until this guidance policy is revoked and an apology issued."

The draft recommendations state that students should not be required to use a locker room that is incompatible with their gender identity. However, locker room usage "should be determined on a case-by-case basis, using the guiding principles of safety and honoring the student's gender identity and expression," according to the recommendations.

Brian McVicar covers education for MLive. Email him at bmcvicar@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter