TPS Not Changing Bathroom Policy For Transgender Students

The White House is seeing protests after reversing federal guidelines on school bathrooms.

President Donald Trump has rescinded President Barack Obama's executive order that transgender students must be allowed to use facilities based on the gender they identify with, but the Trump administration says it's an issue for individual states.

The White House said Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is "100 percent on board" with the hands-off approach to the issue.

In a statement, DeVos says students should have "the freedom to learn and thrive in a safe and trusted environment."

Now that Mr. Trump has put an end to those protections, we wanted to know how it would impact Tulsa schools; and Tulsa Public Schools leaders say just because national policies may be changing, doesn't mean theirs are going to.

Superintendent Dr. Deborah Gist released a statement on her Facebook page Thursday.

It says, in part, that they "honor the dignity and equality of their transgender and gender non-conforming students."

2/23/2017 Related Story: TPS Superintendent Addresses Immigration And Gender

TPS Chief Learning Officer Devin Fletcher said, "For us, it's really about ensuring that we provide a safe and inclusive environment for all of our students."

TPS adopted a transgender policy in 2015, even before the Obama Administration passed federal guidelines on the issue.

They don't plan on changing those now.

"While national policies may be changing, we are committed to and have an unwavering support for ensuring that our students have a safe and inclusive environment," Fletcher said.

Transgender woman Eleanor McCormick said she wishes policies like these would have been around when she was a transitioning student.

"It would have lessened the stress of just going to the restroom because, every day…you sit through an entire class wondering which bathroom am I going to use, am I going to get in trouble, is someone going to shout at me," she said. "It makes no sense to me, especially watching him walk back on his word when he said he wouldn't do this. But I can't say I'm surprised either."

Thursday, DeVos said these matters should be handled at a personal and local level, a notion that Alyssa Bryant, a Tulsa transgender rights lawyer, adamantly disagrees with.

"That's a nationwide issue. It's not going to vary depending on your zip code. When is discrimination a states right issue," Bryant said.

Gist's statement also talked about immigration and referenced a Supreme Court decision from the 80s that says all students have the right to pursue an education, regardless of immigration status.

Fletcher said they stand by that decision.