The White House’s Transgender Letter Has Sparked Legal Action Against Sumner County Schools

The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee filed a complaint today regarding Sumner County Schools’ policy towards transgender students.

This legal action comes just a week after the White House sent a letter to schools offering guidance about bathroom use.

The ACLU’s complaint was filed on behalf of an unnamed transgender high school student.

Under current school policy, that student is required to use a single use faculty or special-needs bathroom rather than typical student bathrooms.

Similar stories were shared by other students during state legislature hearings for the so-called bathroom bill.

The ACLU says this arrangement is out of accordance with the school’s Title IX obligation.

That claim is backed up by the Obama administration’s letter to schools last week which said, among other things, that schools are required to
allow transgender students the right to use the restrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity.

Many GOP leaders have spoken out against the letter, including both Tennessee Senators and Governor Bill Haslam.

Haslam said that school districts, not the federal government, should be responsible for these decisions.