When San Diego students head back to school Monday a few new laws affecting schools will be in place. One of those laws deals with what school facilities are available to transgender students.
Students across California will able to use bathrooms and lockers based on the gender they identify as instead of their biological sex starting this week. The same applies to gender-specific teams and other programs.
San Diego Unified Board of Education President Kevin Beiser said San Diego schools were already working to accommodate at least three transgender students this year.
The new law will mean clarifying districtwide policies for issues that have been dealt with on a case-by-case basis until now.
“Students can’t just willy-nilly decide to use one gender’s facilities over the other," he said. "There’s a deliberate process by which counselors, parents, administrators and staff are involved in consultation with the child to make sure that this is the right thing to do.”
A group called Privacy For All Students gathered signatures last year to halt the law’s implementation and put it on this November’s ballot for voter approval. Those signatures are being verified still and could suspend the new rules later this month.
