Deciding which bathroom, locker room, or shower transgender students should use is the kind of issue the states, parents, school boards, communities, students, and teachers should work out in a practical way with a maximum amount of respect for the individual rights of the students who are transgender as well as the rights of those who are not.
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Turcato said that the district has not yet dealt with any complaints or concerns from transgender students.
But Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee’s complaint to the U.S. Department of Education alleges Sumner County Schools’ policy prohibits transgender students from using restrooms that correspond with their gender identity.
“We are following recent guidance from the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to ensure that our transgender students’ rights are protected and they are fully part of our schools’ inclusive, safe, and supportive learning environment”, Myers said in an email.
In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and U.S. Secretary of Education John King, Senator Bob Corker on Thursday joined 25 Republican senators in criticizing the Obama administration’s decision to issue guidance for every public school in the United States regarding which bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers transgender students may use.
Rubenfeld, who is in private practice, called Sumner County’s policy “not only misguided, it’s a direct violation of Title IX and the Fourteenth Amendment”.
The student had used the girl’s restroom for several months without incident until officials told her in January that she would be disciplined if she continued to do so, according to the letter.
School officials said the district stands to lose $30 million for food service and $20 million in federal grants, primarily for Title I programs. A transgender student should be able to use the bathroom that reflects his or her gender identity. On March 4, 2016, ACLU-TN sent a letter to the director of schools requesting a meeting to resolve the issues.
“…(W)e will always make reasonable accommodations for students as to using the nurse’s restroom and or faculty restrooms if need be”, the email stated. The letter urged the school system to discretely come to a reasonable solution in collaboration with the family, specifically stating ACLU-TN’s and the family’s desire to handle the situation without litigation.
She said the civil rights advocacy group “tried to work with the school district to find a practical solution”.
Theresa Boston-Ellis, the district’s deputy superintendent of schools, said the federal government has yet to withhold funding for not complying.
U.S. Senators Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) today signed a letter clarifying that federal law does not require states and schools to adhere to a new transgender directive issued by the Obama administration. We are aware of and will take under consideration the guidelines recently issued by the Justice and Education Departments.
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“Our schools allow transgender students to follow the dress code corresponding to their gender identity, address them with the name and pronoun corresponding to their gender identity, and provide alternative physical education options”. They have also asked that transgender students be treated the same as others.
