Arcadia Unified Settles Sex Discrimination Case Brought by Transgender Student

The Arcadia Unified School District reached a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve allegations that it discriminated against a transgender student.

The Justice Department had been investigating the district after a transgender student alleged that he was denied access to male restrooms and locker rooms at school, according to a news release from the department. The student filed a complaint with the department in 2011.

"All students, including transgender students, have the right to attend school free from discrimination based on their sex," said Jocelyn Samuels, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, in a prepared statement. "We commend the district for taking affirmative steps to ensure that this student and his peers can continue to learn and thrive in a safe and nondiscriminatory environment."

Under the agreement, the district agreed to work with a consultant to create nondiscriminatory learning environments for transgender students and amend its policies "to reflect that gender-based discrimination, including discrimination based on a student’s gender identity, transgender status, and nonconformity with gender stereotypes, is a form of discrimination based on sex."

The district will also train faculty and staff to prevent transgender discrimination, according to the release.