President Barack Obama sent a directive May 13 to all public school districts in the United States stating that they must allow transgender students to use the gender-specific facilities of the gender that matches their gender identity.

As a public school district, MCPS is required by law to follow President Obama’s directive. This puts an end to the confusion some may have regarding use of gender-specific facilities by transgender students in MCPS.

“MCPS is already closely aligned with the federal government’s new guidelines on this issue,” said Derek Turner from the MCPS Department of Public Information and Web Services.

According to a May 16 New York Times article, Obama’s purpose in passing this directive was to protect children and young adults in schools who may be targets of bullying or discrimination in their schools due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

“MCPS is committed to a safe, welcoming school environment where students are engaged in learning and are active participants in the school community because they feel accepted and valued,” Turner said. “The federal guidelines seems to imply the same commitment.”