Friday, the White House wrote a letter to the nation’s publicly funded schools explaining how they can safeguard the civil rights of students based on their gender identity.
Eugene’s 4J District says it already has guidelines in place to protect students who are transgender and gender-non-conforming.
Spokeswoman Kerry Delf says the district encourages students and their families to work with schools to accommodate things like bathrooms and changing areas.
Delf: “Ideally they’ll talk to the school about it so that the school leadership can work with them and their family to figure out a plan that will work for that student and for the school. For some students that may be access to a single-stall facility or a private time or place for changing and for other student it’s a different plan.”
Delf says acknowledges students are often bullied based on their gender identity or perceived gender identity. That’s something the district says is not acceptable. She says it’s sometimes difficult for schools to completely prevent this behavior.
