Mass. Department of Education Issues Directive On Trans Students

The Massachussets Department of Education on Friday issued an 11-page directive for educators dealing with transgender students, reports the Associated Press. The new directive instructs teachers and administrators to allow transgender and gender non-conforming students to use the bathrooms and play on the sports team that aligns with the student's gender identity.

The rules were issued after the state board of education requested guidance on conforming to the state's 2011 antidiscrimination law, which included transgender people, according to the AP.

"These students, because of widespread misunderstanding and lack of knowledge about their lives, are at a higher risk for peer ostracism, victimization, and bullying," reads the directive.

The document also clarifies that trans students may access the locker room and changing facility that corresponds with their gender identity, regardless of physical anatomy.

http://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2013/02/20/mass-department-education-issues-directive-trans-students