Metro Nashville Schools To Maintain Transgender Students 'Protections'

NASHVILLE, TN — Despite the Trump Administration's reversal of an Obama-era guidance on transgender students and Title IX protections, Metro Nashville Public Schools has no plans to change its policy.

Guidance offered by the Department of Justice and Department of Education under President Barack Obama said that transgender students are covered under Title IX, essentially extending protections against discrimination based on sex to transgender people.

However, Wednesday night, the departments reversed that guidance, saying that the issue of determining which bathroom children should be using is a state matter. Thursday, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally said that it is, in fact, a matter better left to school districts, signalling that the controversial "bathroom bill" sponsored by Wilson County Republicans Rep. Mark Pody and Sen. Mae Beavers which would require students to use the bathroom corresponding to their sex at birth is unnecessary.

To that end, Joseph said Metro has no intention of changing its policy.

“In order to have a productive learning environment, it’s important for all students to feel safe and welcome at school. We will not tolerate any type of discrimination. To that end, Metro Schools has protections for our students and employees specifically based on gender identity. Metro Schools has a transgender accommodation protocol in which we review all requests on a case-by-case basis. This will not change based on the recent decision at the federal level," the statement reads.

According to the Nashville Post, both Beavers and Pody intend to continue with the bathroom bill, despite opposition from Gov. Bill Haslam, a large segment of the state's business community and significant social media backlash, which led to an abrupt cancellation of a recent press conference and other protests, which have ended with Beavers in particular fleeing the legislative campus or locking the doors to her office.

Image via MNPS