Trump administration investigating Jeffco policy on sleeping arrangements for transgender students on overnight trips

The U S Department of Tuition s Office for Civil Rights informed Monday that it is examining Jeffco Masses Schools over the district s strategy on sleeping arrangements for transgender students on overnight school trips Jeffco s plan says that in bulk cases transgender students should be assigned to share overnight accommodations with other students that share the pupil s gender identity It also says the demands of transgender students will be assessed on a case-by-case basis to maximize their social integration ensure their safety and comfort and minimize stigmatization The Instruction Department is launching an study under Title IX which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex Under its contested interpretation of the law the Trump administration has used Title IX to challenge transgender rights policies The Jeffco district allegedly misleads parents by informing them that girls and boys will be separated for overnight accommodations without divulging that its definition of girl includes boys who claim a female identity the department noted in a press release Jeffco Masses Schools noted in a message that its plan is grounded in Colorado s anti-discrimination law the regulations for which say transgender individuals should be allowed to use restrooms locker rooms and dormitories that are consistent with their gender identity Families unfailingly have the ultimate choice whether their attendee participates in any unique initiatives that involves overnight accommodations Jeffco Citizens Schools reported in its comment We are unwavering in our commitment to the well-being of our students staff and families and we strictly adhere to all Colorado state laws governing their restoration Title IX does not prohibit the degree of protection that the State of Colorado provides the district reported This is the second Title IX scrutiny of a large Colorado school district since Trump took office in January That same month the U S Department of Training reported it was examining Denver Masses Schools for converting a girls restroom into an all-gender restroom Jeffco s agenda on overnight accommodations for transgender students is also the subject of an ongoing federal lawsuit filed by several district families One family claimed their daughter then years old was assigned to share a bed with a transgender participant on an out-of-state overnight trip The U S Department of Teaching s press release cited the family s claim calling it one of several disturbing reports about Jeffco s agenda In court documents Jeffco Community Schools argued that the district does not typically know the sex assigned at birth of any of its students because parents can legally change the sex designation on their child s birth certificate before enrolling the child in school Related Articles Jeffco Community Schools teachers union votes no confidence in Superintendent Tracy Dorland Jeffco school psychologist arrested on suspicion of child sex assault Douglas County to close elementary schools next year as enrollment falls Metro Denver school districts curtail trainer raises as budget pressures mount DPS board may require -year pause between rounds of Denver school closures Jeffco also argued that it honors students requests to room by themselves with specific classmates or with their parents and did so in the affair of the -year-old When she expressed discomfort at rooming with a transgender participant the trip organizers expeditiously and discreetly moved her to a different room the district wrote in a court document The Jeffco review was one of two informed Monday in what the Trump administration has declared Title IX Month marking the rd anniversary of the law The other examination involves the admission of a transgender woman to a University of Wyoming sorority a incident that was also the subject of a federal lawsuit This Administration will fight on every front to protect women s and girls sports intimate spaces dormitories and living quarters and fraternal and panhellenic organizations U S Secretary of Learning Linda McMahon mentioned in the press release This story was originally published by Chalkbeat a nonprofit news site covering educational change in inhabitants schools Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe at newsletters Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter