In a decisive move, New York state has once again intervened to prevent a school district from implementing a ban on transgender students’ access to bathrooms. This marks the second instance on Long Island where state authorities have halted such restrictive measures, according to official sources.

The Locust Valley School District had initially passed a resolution aimed at barring transgender students from using restrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity rather than their biological sex. However, this ban has been effectively nullified by an order from state Education Commissioner Betty Rosa issued last month, as reported by the New York Post.

This action mirrors a similar intervention in the Massapequa School District, which had recently become the first in the state to pass such a ban, only to have it promptly blocked as well.

In response to the state’s directive, the Locust Valley School Board released a statement acknowledging the mandate. “Following the Commissioner’s directive, and in the absence of any overriding administrative or judicial ruling, the district is required to adhere to the Commissioner’s interpretation of state law. This interpretation allows students to use facilities that match their gender identity,” the statement read.

The state of New York has effectively halted another attempt by a school district to enforce a transgender bathroom ban. (Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The order blocking Locust Valley’s policy comes amid the ongoing legal battle in Massapequa, where the New York Civil Liberties Union challenged that district’s policy on behalf of a transgender student, the New York Post reported.

In Massapequa’s case, Rosa issued an interim stay in October barring it from enforcing its resolution pending an “ultimate determination.”

Locust Valley has now been added as a related party because of the “near identical nature” of the districts’ policies, according to the new order.

Locust Valley School District had adopted a resolution to prohibit transgender students from using bathrooms and locker rooms that are not consistent with their biological sex. (Istock/ AndreyPopov)

Massapequa filed a federal lawsuit against the student’s parents, the commissioner and other state officials after its policy was blocked.

Rosa’s order said the outcome in that case could have implications for Locust Valley’s policy.

The Locust Valley School Board said it is “navigating a complex and evolving legal landscape shaped by federal and state mandates” and “pursuing further legal counsel” following the commissioner’s order.

The Locust Valley School Board said it is “navigating a complex and evolving legal landscape shaped by federal and state mandates.” (Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images))

In justifying the policy, district officials have pointed to Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in education, and an executive order signed by President Donald Trump earlier this year, which declared male and female as the only two sexes and warned that federal funds “shall not be used to promote gender ideology.”

But state officials contend that New York’s laws allow transgender students to access restrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity.