LANCASTER, N.Y. – In the state of New York, public schools must consider directives from both federal and state officials when dealing with the issue of open restroom and locker room choice for transgender students.

The U.S. Department of Education has ruled that transgender students must be allowed to use the facilities that match their perceived gender, regardless of biological reality.

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And the New York Department of Education released a document earlier this year, recommending that schools follow the federal directive.

But many people in the Lancaster school district want their school board to stand up to authorities and reject the concept.

The school board took note of that opposition earlier this week and voted to table a proposed policy that would have allowed transgender kids to use the school restrooms of their choice, according to several news outlets.

Mary Kless, a former Lancaster school board member, echoed the feelings of many in the crowd of about 200 at the school board meeting when she urged her former colleagues to stand up to state and federal authorities and refuse to adopt the policy, according to a report from WKBW-TV.

Federal authorities have warned that school districts that defy their edict could face the loss of millions of dollars in annual federal financial aid.

“Why is this policy being considered?” Kless said, according to the Buffalo News. “Call their bluff. What consequences would there be for this district if you didn’t adopt this policy? Why not be like Donald Trump and do what you want to do with it? Find out why something like this was forced on the people.”

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Nelson McCall, pastor of the Hillview Baptist Church, drew a round of applause from the crowd when he suggested that the issue be put on the ballot for a community vote, instead of allowing the school board to make the call on such a sensitive issue, according to the Buffalo News.

“The values of our majority are being displaced possibly by a minority,” McCall told the school board, according to the newspaper. “We do not wish to put our children and youth at risk with a request of some of these folks.”

One high school student told the board that he would be uncomfortable using restrooms or changing in front of female classmates. He also questioned whether some students would abuse the policy for “perverted” reasons.

“Shouldn’t the students have voices in their own well-being?” said Tyler Kowalewski, a high school junior, according to LifeSiteNews. “It would be very hard to enforce this policy. You really can’t enforce this to be sure no one would take advantage of this in a perverted way.

“I can only imagine what it would feel like to change in front of a female or females in front of males.”

Matt Sharp, an attorney for the Arizona-based Alliance Defending Freedom, told LifeSiteNews that his organization provided Lancaster school officials with materials that would support any decision to ignore the federal and state directives.

ADF argues that there is nothing in the federal Title IX law – which is cited by federal authorities to defend open restroom and locker room access – that mentions allowing open access for transgender students.

Title IX is part of a federal law that prohibits gender-based discrimination in schools.

“I was encouraged,” Sharp said about the Lancaster board’s decision to table the issue, according to LifeSiteNews. “It looks like the board was moving forward to adopt one of these gender-neutral policies (but) the parents rallied and showed up at the board meeting, expressing their concerns about the privacy and safety of their children.

“I’m encouraged by that. I hope the board realizes the best they can do in their jobs is to protect the privacy and safety of every student under their care.”