Trump administration rolls back protection for transgender students

Rejecting their responsibility on what even our Secretary of Education appears to have realized is a civil rights issue, tonight the Trump administration rolled back federal protections for transgender students. You can read the full letter here. They also informed the Supreme Court that they would not be defending that guidance in court next month.
A few things to note:
This does not change Title IX or federal civil rights protections. It changes the federal interpretation of applying those protections.
It does not change Massachusetts General Law or regulation; for specific guidance on schools, DESE resources are here.

Finally, a few statistics that demonstrate why this matters;
33% of transgender youth have attempted suicide.
55% of transgender youth report being physically attacked.
74% of transgender youth reported being sexually harassed at school.
90% of transgender youth reported feeling unsafe at school because of their gender expression.
78% reported having been verbally harassed.
48% reported having been victims of assault, including assault with a weapon, sexual assault or rape.

These are our kids. They are in our schools. They need our protection.

And if by chance you are a transgender young person reading this: you're ours. You deserve better. Lots and lots of us care about you. And if you need support:

You don't have to have it all figured out, now or later 🌱 We're here for you 24/7 at: 866.488.7386 💚 [ art by @EmmNotEmmaRoy ] #lgbtq+ pic.twitter.com/2htSoeffVg

— The Trevor Project (@TrevorProject) February 5, 2017

DeVos is Secretary of Education

A few quick notes:

• It's not clear at this point what impact this is going to have on state ESSA plans. The House is busy gutting the Obama administration's issued regulations of ESSA, but many states that plan to send in plans early have followed the language of the law directly, rather than regulations.

• While there is reason to be concerned about impacts on K-12 funding (and you know me: I'd never tell you NOT to worry about funding!), the bigger concern is this: U.S. DoE's major role is ensure access to and quality of education for students with disabilities, LBGTQ students, girls, low income students, students of color, students who are learning English...we've seen NO commitment to that from her. We need to watch this like a hawk at the state level, but then fight as hard as we can for national oversight to ensure we don't lose kids in other states. Also, Sessions is not yet confirmed as AG, and with his horrific history on civil rights, we lose education oversight there, too. Don't stop calling! 

• I have seen more people more mobilized on this fight than I have ever seen care about anything in public education. Teachers and parents, sure, but I've seen people who don't have kids, who don't know anyone working in a public school see this threat and be mobilized like anything. For those of us who have been around these fights awhile, this amount of support for public education has been incredibly encouraging. DON'T BACK DOWN!

Finally, a word from my favorite fictional president:

If you are upset about Betsy DeVos, here is your homework: Go to your next school-board meeting.

— Josiah Bartlet (@Pres_Bartlet) February 7, 2017

And make sure you vote in local elections.