In Manatee County schools, transgender bathroom issues handled on case-by-case basis

MANATEE -- A federal memo urging school districts to allow students to use a bathroom based on their gender identity is under review by the Manatee County School District.

The letter, signed by officials at the federal Justice and Education departments and sent Friday morning, tells public school administrators they should ensure that all students, including those who are transgender, can attend school in an environment free from discrimination based on sex.

The memo comes in the wake of several pieces of legislation across the country dealing with transgender people using public restrooms -- most notably, a measure in North Carolina.

The HB2 law was passed in a special session in March, stemming from the Charlotte City Council letting transgender people use the public bathroom that corresponded to their gender identity, not necessarily their birth sex. The law requires transgender people to use the bathroom that correlates to their birth sex.

In Manatee County schools, the issue is rare, Staff Attorney Mitchell Teitelbaum said. In the past two years, he's only dealt with the students and families in those types of situations twice.

"We have worked with each individual student and family on their concerns," Teitelbaum said.

Citing student privacy, Teitelbaum said he could not further detail what solutions were reached.

Manatee County schools have traditional school bathrooms, large rooms separated by male or female with multiple bathroom stalls, spokesman Mike Barber said. There are some areas, Barber added, like clinics, that have individual bathroom stalls.

The district is still analyzing what was sent out from Washington. The letter included a 25-page document describing policies in place in some schools around the country, such as installing privacy curtains or allowing students to change in bathroom stalls.

"We support and respect the privacy of all our students and their families," Teitelbaum said. "We remain committed to treating all our students fairly and equitably under the law."

Meghin Delaney, education reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7081. Follow her on Twitter@MeghinDelaney.

This story was originally published May 13, 2016 at 6:15 PM with the headline "In Manatee County schools, transgender bathroom issues handled on case-by-case basis ."