Betsy DeVos: Protecting LGBTQ Students Should Be 'Key Priority' for All Schools

[DonViejo]

by Josh Feldman | 9:28 pm, February 22nd, 2017

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos tweeted and released a statement tonight after the announcement that Obama-era transgender student rules would be rolled back by the Trump administration.

According to The New York Times, DeVos had been hesitant about going along with this “because of the potential harm that rescinding the protections could cause transgender students.”

DeVos posted the following statement online explaining the rollback but insisting she’s committed to protecting LGBTQ students:

We have a responsibility to protect every student in America and ensure that they have the freedom to learn and thrive in a safe and trusted environment. This is not merely a federal mandate, but a moral obligation no individual, school, district or state can abdicate. At my direction, the Department’s Office for Civil Rights remains committed to investigating all claims of discrimination, bullying and harassment against those who are most vulnerable in our schools.

The guidance issued by the previous administration has given rise to several legal questions. As a result, a federal court in August 2016 issued a nationwide injunction barring the Department from enforcing a portion of its application. Since that time, the Department has not enforced that part of the guidance, thus there is no immediate impact to students by rescinding this guidance.

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http://www.mediaite.com/online/betsy-devos-protecting-lgbtq-students-should-be-key-priority-for-all-schools/