The Minnesota Department of Education approved a transgender guide earlier this week that suggests segregating students who are uncomfortable with transgender bathrooms.
The transgender toolkit, approved by an advisory council for the state’s education department, offers Minnesota schools suggestions on how to accommodate transgender and gender non-conforming students, reports KSTP.
The resource guide emphasizes ensuring that trans students can use the bathroom that matches their gender identity and encourages schools to make sure these students aren’t “stigmatized,” a suggestion that comes at the price of the comfort of other students.
“Schools should work with transgender and gender nonconforming students to ensure that they are able to access needed facilities in a manner that is safe, consistent with their gender identity and does not stigmatize them,” the resource guide reads.
The toolkit suggests that schools “segregate” students who might be uncomfortable sharing a bathroom with fellow trans or gender non-conforming students.
“Privacy objections raised by a student in interacting with a transgender or gender nonconforming student may be addressed by segregating the student raising the objection provided that the action of the school officials does not result in stigmatizing the transgender and gender nonconforming student,” the toolkit reads.
Charlene Briner, deputy commissioner at Minnesota’s Department of Education, said the toolkit is more of a resource guide of best practices for interacting with trans students and not a mandate on how schools must act.
“This is a collection of resources and best practices. A lot of these decisions are made at the local level by administrators,” she told KSTP. “Schools are already dealing with this and they’ve been asking for some help, because these issues are uncomfortable, both for the community and the families of transgender individuals.”
The Minnesota Department of Education did not return The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment in time for publication.
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