Thurmond

“This illegal action will harm students starting now,” Thurmond added.

The disruption would be substantial — and state education leaders, including Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, said Monday evening that the problems are unfolding immediately.

The next day, however, California Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond sent out a letter, saying that the federal warning carried no legal weight.

State Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond responded last week by saying in his own letter to schools that Dhillon’s warning carried no legal weight and that school districts were still obligated to follow state law, which requires transgender athletes be allowed to compete on teams based on their gender identity.

“The DOJ assertions are not in themselves law, and the letter by itself cannot be an enforcement mechanism,” Thurmond wrote.