F RAL A GE NCY G UIDANCE & E DE HE L T AW A Sho wdo wn in the Co urts 2016 Sc ho o l L a w Pra c tic e Se mina r Ope ning Ge ne ra l Se ssio n J OIN T HE C ONVE RSAT ION T oday’s Me e t https:/ / to da ysme e t.c o m/ COSA2016 1
Alliso n Sc ha fe r Andre w Ma nna No rth Ca ro lina Churc h Churc h Sc ho o l Bo a rds Hittle + Antrim Asso c ia tio n No b le sville , I N Je nnife r Smith Mo de rato r F ra nc ze k Ra de le t Chic a g o , I L K a tie Ande rso n Stra sb urg e r & Pric e , L L P Da lla s, T X Pane lists T E IX IT L Sta tuto ry la ng ua g e : “No pe rso n sha ll, o n the b a sis o f se x, b e e xc lude d fro m pa rtic ipa tio n in, b e de nie d the b e ne fits o f, o r b e sub je c te d to disc rimina tio n unde r a ny e duc a tio n pro g ra m o r a c tivity re c e iving F e de ra l fina nc ia l a ssista nc e .” 20 USC §1681. An e duc a tio na l institutio n ma y ma inta in “se pa ra te living fa c ilitie s fo r the diffe re nt se xe s.” 20 USC §1686. I mple me nting re g ula tio ns: Sc ho o ls ma y pro vide se pa ra te b ut c o mpa ra b le do rms, b a thro o ms, lo c ke r ro o ms, a nd sho we r fa c ilitie s o n the b a sis o f se x. 34 CF R §§106.32 a nd 106.33. 2
D E AR C OL AGUE L R ON T R S T L E E T T E RANSGE NDE UDE NT S On Ma y 13, 2016, the U.S. De pts. o f E duc a tio n a nd Justic e jo intly issue d a “De a r Co lle a g ue ” le tte r re g a rding tra nsg e nde r stude nts. T he le tte r sta te s tha t: T itle I X’ s pro hib itio n o n se x disc rimina tio n re q uire s sc ho o ls to tre a t tra nsg e nde r stude nts—tho se who se g e nde r ide ntity is diffe re nt fro m the se x the y we re a ssig ne d a t b irth—in the sa me ma nne r tha t it tre a ts o the r stude nts o f the sa me g e nde r ide ntity. http:/ / www2.e d.g o v/ a b o ut/ o ffic e s/ list/ o c r/ le tte rs/ c o lle a g ue -201605-title -ix-tra nsg e nd e r.pdf) D E AR C OL AGUE L R ON T R S T L E E T T E RANSGE NDE UDE NT S Stude nt o r pa re nt no tic e tha t a stude nt will a sse rt a ne w g e nde r ide ntity is suffic ie nt to re q uire a sc ho o l to b e g in tre a ting the stude nt c o nsiste nt with the stude nt’ s g e nde r ide ntity. Sc ho o ls c a nno t re q uire a me dic a l dia g no sis, e vide nc e o f tre a tme nt, o r a ne w b irth c e rtific a te . Sc ho o ls c a nno t disc ipline o r e xc lude tra nsg e nde r stude nts fro m a c tivitie s fo r b e ha vio r c o nsiste nt with g e nde r ide ntity o r tha t do e s no t c o nfo rm to ste re o typic a l no tio ns o f ma sc ulinity o r fe mininity. F E RPA pro hib its sc ho o ls fro m pub lic ly disc lo sing a tra nsg e nde r stude nt's b irth na me o r b io lo g ic a l se x; sc ho o ls sho uld c ha ng e the g e nde r o n sc ho o l re c o rds a nd dire c to rie s whe n a ske d. 3
D E AR C OL AGUE L R ON T R S T L E E T T E RANSGE NDE UDE NT S E lig ib ility fo r sing le -se x te a ms ma y no t re ly o n o ve rly b ro a d g e ne ra liza tio ns o r ste re o type s a b o ut the diffe re nc e s b e twe e n tra nsg e nde r stude nts a nd o the r stude nts o f the sa me se x. Sc ho o ls must e nsure no ndisc rimina tio n o n the b a sis o f se x inc lude s pro viding tra nsg e nde r stude nts e q ua l a c c e ss to e duc a tio na l pro g ra ms a nd a c tivitie s e ve n in c irc umsta nc e s in whic h o the r stude nts, pa re nts, o r c o mmunity me mb e rs ra ise o b je c tio ns o r c o nc e rns. T he de sire to a c c o mmo da te o the rs’ disc o mfo rt c a nno t justify a po lic y tha t sing le s o ut a nd disa dva nta g e s a pa rtic ula r c la ss o f stude nts. OCR’ S E HIS I VOL UT ION ON T SSUE Apr il 3, 2014: OCR Chie f Ca the rine L ha mo n te lls COSA to a dvise sc ho o l b o a rd c lie nts to a llo w tra nsg e nde r stude nts to use the b a thro o m o f the g e nde r with whic h the y ide ntify. Apr itle IX and Se xual Viole nc e : “T itle il, 29 2014 Q&A on T I X’ s se x disc rimina tio n pro hib itio n e xte nds to c la ims o f disc rimina tio n b a se d o n g e nde r ide ntity o r fa ilure to c o nfo rm to ste re o typic a l no tio ns o f ma sc ulinity o r fe mininity….” Jan. 7, 2015 opinion le tte r inte r pr e ting T itle IX bathr oom individuals: “Whe n a sc ho o l r e gulations to tr ansge nde r e le c ts to se pa ra te o r tre a t stude nts diffe re ntly o n the b a sis o f se x . . . a sc ho o l g e ne ra lly must tre a t tra nsg e nde r stude nts c o nsiste nt with the ir g e nde r ide ntity.” 4
OCR’ S E HIS I VOL UT ION ON T SSUE Prio r to April 2014, OCR ha d no t ta ke n a fo rma l po sitio n in a ny na tio nwide g uida nc e . Ho we ve r, b e g inning in 2013, OCR re so lve d se ve ra l c o mpla ints with sc ho o l syste ms thro ug h re so lutio n a g re e me nts in whic h the sc ho o l syste ms in q ue stio n a g re e to tre a t the c o mpla ining stude nt c o nsiste nt with his o r he r g e nde r ide ntity: Arc a dia Unifie d Sc ho o l Distric t, Ca lifo rnia , July 2013 Do wne y Unifie d Sc ho o l Distric t, Ca lifo rnia , Oc to b e r 2014 T o wnship Hig h Sc ho o l Distric t 211, Pa la tine , I llino is, De c e mb e r 2015 A RGUME S C HAL NGING OCR NT L E OCR/ DOJ’ s g uida nc e do c ume nt vio la te s the fe de ra lism a nd se pa ra tio n-o f-po we rs g ua ra nte e s o f the U.S. Co nstitutio n. OCR/ DOJ’ s g uida nc e do c ume nt, whic h inc o rpo ra te s “g e nde r ide ntity” into T itle I X’ s de finitio n o f “se x,” is a le g isla tive rule a do pte d witho ut the pro c e dure s ma nda te d in the Administra tive Pro c e dure Ac t. Allo wing tra nsg e nde r stude nts in the re stro o m o r lo c ke r ro o m o f the ir g e nde r ide ntity pro duc e s se xua l ha ra ssme nt a nd c re a te s a ho stile e nviro nme nt o n the b a sis o f se x unde r T itle I X. Allo wing tra nsg e nde r stude nts in the re stro o m o r lo c ke r ro o m o f the ir g e nde r ide ntity vio la te s the o the r stude nts’ c o nstitutio na l rig ht to b o dily priva c y. 5
A RGUME S C HAL NGING OCR NT L E OCR/ DOJ’ s g uida nc e do c ume nts, whic h inc o rpo ra te s “g e nde r ide ntity” into T itle I X’ s de finitio n o f “se x,” a re a vio la tio n o f the Spe nding Cla use in Artic le 1, Se c tio n 8 o f the U.S. Co nstitutio n. Allo wing tra nsg e nde r stude nts in the re stro o m o r lo c ke r ro o m o f the ir g e nde r ide ntity vio la te s the o the r pa re nts’ c o nstitutio na l rig ht to dire c t the e duc a tio n a nd upb ring ing o f the ir c hildre n. T itle I X’ s re g ula tio ns sta te tha t sc ho o ls ma y pro vide “se pa ra te b ut e q ua l” fa c ilitie s o n the b a sis o f se x, a nd the b o ys’ a nd g irls’ lo c ke r ro o ms a re e q ua l. Allo wing tra nsg e nde r stude nts in the re stro o m o r lo c ke r ro o m o f the ir g e nde r ide ntity b urde ns the o the r stude nts’ pra c tic e o f re lig io n. I S OCR’ S I ION E O D E NCE ? NT E RPRE T AT NT IT L E D T F E RE OCR c la ims tha t its inte rpre ta tio n o f its o wn re g ula tio ns is e ntitle d to de fe re nc e unde r Aue r v. Ro bbins, 519 U.S. 452 (1997). I n Aue r, p o lic e o ffic e rs b ro ug ht suit a lle g ing the y we re e ntitle d to o ve rtime pa y. Co mmissio ne r a rg ue d o ffic e rs we re e xe mpt unde r F a ir L a b o r Sta nda rds Ac t (“F L SA”) a s e xe c utive , a dministra tive , o r pro fe ssio na l e mplo ye e s. T he tria l c o urt he ld tha t the po lic e o ffic e rs we re e xe mpt unde r F L SA a nd Co urt o f Appe a ls a ffirme d. 6
I S OCR’ S I ION E O D E NCE ? NT E RPRE T AT NT IT L E D T F E RE Supre me Co urt g ra nte d c e rtio rari to de te rmine whe the r the Se c re ta ry o f L a b o r ha d a de q ua te ly inte rpre te d the “sa la ry-b a sis” te st re la te d to the e xe mpt sta tus o f a n e mplo ye e . T he Supre me Co urt sta te d tha t “[b ]e c a use the sa la ry-b a sis te st is a c re a ture o f the Se c re ta ry’ s o wn re g ula tio ns, his inte rpre ta tio n o f it is, unde r o ur jurisprude nc e , c o ntro lling unle ss pla inly e rro ne o us o r inc o nsiste nt with the re g ula tio n.” I d. , a t 461. J OIN T HE C ONVE RSAT ION T oday’s Me e t https:/ / to da ysme e t.c o m/ COSA2016 7
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