ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Two schools accused of discrimination against transgender students recently resorted to payout settlements and policy changes. The settlements do not bode well for schools that maintain traditional policies on gender, gender transitions and restroom use.
Nova Classical Academy, a charter school in St. Paul, Minnesota, agreed Aug. 7 to adopt a far-reaching gender inclusion policy and pay a child’s parents $120,000. The agreement ended a 16-month legal battle initiated in 2016 by David and Hannah Edwards, the parents of a then-kindergartner who was born a boy but wanted to identify as a girl. The lawsuit came after the school had expressed a desire to allow the other kindergarteners’ parents to opt out of their children hearing the explanation of the Edwards’ child’s gender transition plan.
Another recent settlement involved three transgender students in a Pittsburgh-area school district.
The students sued the Pine-Richland School District over a restroom policy requiring students to use either unisex restrooms or the restroom that matches their biological sex. According to the settlement, the district agreed to pay each student $20,000 and attorney fees, rescind the previous restroom policy and update its nondiscrimination policy to include gender identity. (BP)
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