The Trump administration has withdrawn from an agreement designed to protect trans students in five school districts and one college.
According to AP, the US Department of Education terminated the agreements on 6 April. The protections had originally been negotiated under Title IX by the Obama and Biden administrations.
Title IX is a civil rights law that bans sex-based discrimination in schools and other education programmes receiving federal funding. Previous administrations interpreted those protections as extending to LGBTQ+ students, particularly trans young people.
The now-cancelled agreement had required schools to take steps to support trans students, including training staff to use students’ chosen names and allowing trans students to access bathrooms and other facilities that match their gender identity.
Which areas are affected?
The move has drawn mixed responses from the districts involved.
Delaware Valley School District in Pennsylvania was reportedly notified in February and has since begun rolling back anti-discrimination measures that had been put in place to support trans students.
Sacramento City Unified School District in California was informed on 6 April and is now waiting to see whether the reversal 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 is already under pressure, facing a US$170 million budget deficit and the possibility of a state takeover.
Other districts and institutions affected include Cape Henlopen School District in Delaware, Fife School District in Washington, La Mesa-Spring Valley School District in California, and Taft College.
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said the decision to end the agreements was aimed at preventing transgender students from accessing 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 said in a statement.
