Transgender Students

Dandelion Hunt-Smith pictured at San Francisco’s Dolores Park on Feb. 23, 2023.
Dandelion Hunt-Smith pictured at San Francisco’s Dolores Park on Feb. 23, 2023.
Nic Coury for Education Week
Student Well-Being Video What An Inclusive School Environment Looks Like For This Transgender Teen
Dandelion Hunt-Smith, a transgender and nonbinary student, sees great value in school environments that treat all students as humans.
Ileana Najarro & Sam Mallon, February 27, 2023
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2:40
Dandelion Hunt-Smith pictured at San Francisco’s Dolores Park on Feb. 23, 2023.
Dandelion Hunt-Smith pictured at San Francisco’s Dolores Park on Feb. 23, 2023. Hunt-Smith left Georgia in search of a more inclusive school environment and now attends John O'Connell High School in San Francisco.
Nic Coury for Education Week
Families & the Community Q&A A Transgender Student Moved Cross-Country for a Welcoming School. Here's Their Story
Dandelion Hunt-Smith and their parents talk about the importance of welcoming schools for mental health and academic performance.
Ileana Najarro, February 27, 2023
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8 min read
Judge gavel on law books with statue of justice and court government background. concept of law, justice, legal.
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Law & Courts West Virginia Law Barring Transgender Girls From School Sports Upheld by Federal Judge
The decision is a turnabout for the judge, who cast doubt on the law in 2021 and issued an order allowing a transgender girl to compete.
Mark Walsh, January 6, 2023
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4 min read
Transgender student Drew Adams speaks with reporters outside of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta on Dec. 5, 2019.
Transgender student Drew Adams speaks with reporters outside a federal courthouse in Atlanta in 2019. The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled against him on Dec. 30.
Ron Harris/AP
Law & Courts School District Policy Basing Restroom Access on 'Biological Sex' Upheld by Appeals Court
The sharply divided appellate court rules against transgender student Drew Adams and possibly tees up a major fight in the Supreme Court.
Mark Walsh, January 2, 2023
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5 min read
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Law & Courts The 8 Most Consequential Developments in Education Law in 2022
The list includes major decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court, a transition on the high court, and several lower court decisions.
Mark Walsh, December 22, 2022
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6 min read
A multiple exposure of a wooden gavel and a long row of columns from a courthouse.
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Law & Courts Appeals Court Upholds Connecticut's Pro-Transgender Student Athletics Policy
The court hinted its agreement that Title IX protects transgender athletes who seek to compete consistent with their gender identity.
Mark Walsh, December 16, 2022
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3 min read
Equity & Diversity Spotlight Spotlight on Inclusion
This Spotlight will help you evaluate the negative treatment LGBTQ+ students experience, discover the positives of unified sports, and more.

December 15, 2022
Banned books are visible at the Central Library, a branch of the Brooklyn Public Library system, in New York City on Thursday, July 7, 2022. The books are banned in several public schools and libraries in the U.S., but young people can read digital versions from anywhere through the library. The Brooklyn Public Library offers free membership to anyone in the U.S. aged 13 to 21 who wants to check out and read books digitally in response to the nationwide wave of book censorship and restrictions.
Banned books are on diplay at the Central Library, a branch of the Brooklyn Public Library system, in New York City on Thursday, July 7, 2022. Some of these books are among those banned by school districts in Texas.
Ted Shaffrey/AP
School & District Management ACLU Texas Files OCR Complaint Over a District's Anti-Trans Book Ban
The group claims the Keller school district's new policy to remove books about gender fluidity from library shelves violates federal law.
Eesha Pendharkar, November 30, 2022
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4 min read
Demonstrators gather on the steps of the Florida Historic Capitol Museum in front of the Florida State Capitol on March 7, 2022, in Tallahassee, Fla. Florida House Republicans advanced a bill, dubbed by opponents as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, to forbid discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, rejecting criticism from Democrats who said the proposal demonizes LGBTQ people.
Demonstrators gather on the steps of the Florida Historic Capitol Museum in Tallahassee on March 7, 2022. Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law was a model for a federal bill introduced last month.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
Federal What the Federal 'Don't Say Gay' Bill Actually Says
The bill would restrict federal funds for lessons on LGBTQ identities. The outcome of this week's election could revive its prospects.
Eesha Pendharkar, November 9, 2022
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4 min read
An Alameda High School student poses for photos wearing ripped jeans on the school's campus in Alameda, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018. The relaxed new dress code at public schools in the small city of Alameda, across the bay from San Francisco, is intentionally specific: Midriff-baring shirts are acceptable attire, so are tank tops with spaghetti straps and other once-banned items like micro-mini skirts and short shorts.
An Alameda High School student wears ripped jeans on the school's campus in Alameda, Calif.. The school system recently relaxed its dress codes to lessen their impact on some students.
Jeff Chiu/AP
Equity & Diversity Districts Need Guidance on Designing Dress Codes That Are Fair to All. It Might Be On the Way
The Education Department has said it will develop resources, but experts say school districts also need to examine their own policies.
Eesha Pendharkar, October 28, 2022
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6 min read
Image of happy and not happy face symbols.
ThitareeSarmkasat/iStock/Getty
Student Well-Being Students Say Depression, Anxiety Are Holding Them Back. But They Can’t Find Help at School
Less than half of middle and high school students say they have an adult at their school they can talk to when they feel upset.
Arianna Prothero, October 24, 2022
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3 min read
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Lily Freeman and her mother, Mindy Freeman, have actively campaigned against efforts to restrict LGBQT books in the Central Bucks school district and elsewhere.
Courtesy of Mindy Freeman
Equity & Diversity Why a Trans Student and Her Mom Are Fighting Their District's Anti-LGBTQ Policies
Lily Freeman and her mother, Mindy Freeman, are working to stem a slew of anti-LGBTQ policies and directives issued in Central Bucks County, Pa.
Eesha Pendharkar, October 14, 2022
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6 min read
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin wants districts to adopt a model policy that restricts how schools and teachers deal with transgender students.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin speaks with reporters after touring a Loudoun County elections facility at the County Office of Elections, in Leesburg, Va., Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022. Youngkin inspected ballot scanning machines undergoing logic and accuracy testing.
Cliff Owen/AP
Equity & Diversity What One State's Transgender Student Policy Could Mean for Students
Experts fear Virginia's model policy could endanger the mental health and safety of trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming students.
Eesha Pendharkar, September 21, 2022
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6 min read
Icons showing expressions with a hand choosing the smiley face.
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Equity & Diversity Proposed Federal Rules on Title IX Draw Flood of Public Comments
The Education Department received more than 200,000 comments on proposed changes to Title IX sex discrimination regulations.
Libby Stanford, September 13, 2022
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5 min read
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