Downey Unified School District settles transgender discrimination claim

A California school district settled a claim Tuesday with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights that alleged officials discriminated against a transgender elementary school student.

The Downey Unified School District agreed, among other things, to give the student access to female-dedicated facilities, to ensure that the student isn’t disciplined for being transgendered and to provide students with age-appropriate information on gender identity, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Education.

The school district signed the agreement without admitting it violated federal laws and before an investigation from the federal agency’s Office for Civil Rights could be completed.

“Our federal civil rights laws protect all students from sex-based discrimination and harassment,” said Catherine E. Lhamon, assistant secretary for civil rights.

The complaint alleged that the school district failed to adequately respond to harassment that the transgender student faced from her peers. It also said that staff disciplined the elementary school student for wearing makeup, discouraged her from speaking about her gender identity with classmates and suggested that she transfer to another school.

Read a copy of the agreement here.

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