As we head into 2020, a number of compelling federal court cases could have a significant and lasting influence on K-12 US public education. One of those cases is Gavin Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board. In this case, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and its Virginia chapter filed a lawsuit in 2015 against the Gloucester County (VA) School board after it enacted policies barring Gavin Grimm, a transgender male, from accessing bathrooms aligned with his gender identity claiming the bathroom policy is unconstitutional and that it violates Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in schools. In 2017, the Supreme Court remanded the case to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals to be reconsidered after the Trump administration rescinded the USDE’s Obama-era guidance protecting transgender students’ rights under Title IX, which allowed transgender students to access bathrooms and facilities of their choice.

For the other critical cases involving K-12 public schools, including the DACA program and the right to an education, go to the original Education Dive article by clicking here.