EDUCATION/LEGAL/LGBTQ: “A spokeswoman for the Department of Education confirmed on Monday that the department is no longer investigating civil rights complaints from transgender students banned from using bathrooms conforming with their gender identity.The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights ‘continues to use current law and current regulation to determine if any child in school is being harassed or discriminated against due to race, sex, or disability,’ Hill said. ‘The secretary and the department believe strongly that all students are to be protected from harassment and bullying and have the opportunity to learn in a safe and nurturing environment.’…
The development, which was first reported by BuzzFeed News, was widely criticized by civil rights groups, who said it could endanger the welfare of transgender students…
The development reverses 2016 guidance by the Obama administration that directed public school students to use the bathroom that matched their gender identity. The Obama administration’s position was that Title IX, the federal law that bans sex discrimination in schools, protects transgender students.
The Education Department under the Trump administration has a different interpretation of Title IX.”
-Juana Summers, “Education Department says it is no longer investigating transgender bathroom complaints,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, Feb. 12, 2018 10:45pm