The White House’s thoughtless, cruel and sad rollback of transgender rights

CAT Tracks Editor's Note:

If you were blocked by the pay wall, they concluded their opinion piece by stating:

"News reports suggest that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos initially refused to join Attorney General Jeff Sessions in withdrawing the guidance but ultimately backed down when faced with the alternative of resignation. If that is true, we give her some credit for trying, but this offers no comfort to a nation increasingly divided by background, race and income.

If DeVos can’t win on this issue, what would happen if the law-abiding children of undocumented parents, kids who have spent most of their lives in the United States, were deported like common criminals? Would she win if federal education funds targeted to low-income children were instead spent on higher-income children?

Would she win if students with disabilities were illegally denied the educational supports they need and deserve? Would she win if students of color continued to be suspended and expelled far out of proportion to their numbers? Would she block schools from discriminating in other nefarious ways?

On issues such as standards and curriculum, the federal government rightly defers to states and districts, but when it comes to protecting students, the law is clear: Civil rights are paramount. These are real issues affecting real people and carrying consequences every day for children in classrooms.

They deserve better."