Trump’s Education Department ends agreement to protect trans students
Some protections for trans students are ending (stock image, Getty)
The Trump administration has backed out of an agreement to protect trans students in five district schools and a college.
AP reported that the Education Department terminated the agreements, which were previously negotiated by the Obama and Biden administrations under Title IX, on 6 April.
Title IX is a civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools and other education programmes that receive funding from the federal government. The previous administrations interpreted the law to include protections for LGBTQ+ students, particularly trans students.
The original agreement pledged to help protect trans students by setting a federal obligation for the schools to run measures like faculty training on using trans students’ preferred names and letting trans students use bathrooms and other facilities that align with their gender identity.
Which areas are affected?
The change has been met with mixed reactions from the school districts affected.
Delaware Valley School District in Pennsylvania was reportedly notified of the change in February and has responded by rolling back its anti-discrimination measures that were in place to protect trans students.
Sacramento City Unified School District in California found out about the news on 6 April and is waiting to see if the rescinded measures will affect district policy or federal funding, according to the Sacramento Bee.
In a statement, district spokesperson Al Goldberg said: “The Sacramento City Unified School District remains committed to the support of our LGBTQ+ students and staff.”
The Bee also reported that Sacramento City Unified could find itself in a vulnerable position as it also faces a “$170 million budget deficit and threats of state takeover”.
Other school districts and colleges affected by the news include Cape Henlopen School District in Delaware, Fife School District in Washington, and La Mesa-Spring Valley School District and Taft College in California.
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said that the protections agreement would be terminated in an attempt to keep transgender students out of girls’ and women’s sports and locker rooms.
“Today, the Trump Administration is removing the unnecessary and unlawful burdens that prior Administrations imposed on schools in its relentless pursuit of a radical transgender agenda,” she wrote in a statement.
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