Rescinding Guidance on Transgender Student Rights Makes Kids Less Safe
Reston, VA – The National Association of Secondary School Principals issued the following statement on the Trump administration’s rescinding of the Guidance Related to Civil Rights Protections for Transgender Students:
“It is disheartening that the Trump administration’s first education action is designed to make students less safe.
“In our May 2016 position statement on supporting transgender students, NASSP recommended that the federal government create explicit guidelines, resulting in the “significant guidance” from the US Department of Justice and the US Department of Education. We believed that as a guardian of civil rights, the federal government was obligated to protect a severely harassed and marginalized group of students, and to reinforce principals’ efforts to create a safe and supportive environment for them. We recognized that some community members were uncomfortable with students’ transgender identification, and that explicit civil rights guidance was required to prioritize the needs of students over that discomfort. Last year’s guidance sent just that message. In rescinding the guidance, President Trump sends an equally strong and opposite message. It diminishes the value of transgender students, discourages educators’ efforts to support them, and emboldens their harassers.
“Principals will continue their efforts to support transgender and all other students in the face of new opposition and, sadly, with the knowledge that their president might not share their concern for the needs of each student.”
About NASSP
The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is the leading organization of and voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and school leaders from across the United States and 35 countries around the world. The association connects and engages school leaders through advocacy, research, education, and student programs. NASSP advocates on behalf of all school leaders to ensure the success of each student and strengthens school leadership practices through the design and delivery of high-quality professional learning experiences. Reflecting its long-standing commitment to student leadership development, NASSP administers the National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, National Elementary Honor Society, and National Association of Student Councils.