Resources & Materials: April 11 Webinar

“The Truth About Executive Orders and

the Rights of Transgender Students

in Pennsylvania K-12 Schools”

Thank you for registering for the April 11 webinar presentation from Education Law Center PA, ACLU-PA and ACLU’s LGBTQ Rights Project titled “The Truth About Executive Orders and the Rights of Transgender Students in Pennsylvania K-12 Schools.”

Here are the recording and slides from the presentation.

The following additional information may be helpful to families and school communities:

• Learn more about the current status of Title IX regulations in this ELC fact sheet: Title IX Regulations: Their Status and Interaction with Pennsylvania Anti-Discrimination Laws. All schools must follow the 2020 regulations — and continuing state law obligations.

• Women’s Law Project and ELC sent an open letter to PIAA urging the board of directors to clarify or correct their policy and allow trans students to play. We also provided testimony to the PIAA and supported the family of a trans athlete to share their experience. 

• ACLU-NH filed a lawsuit challenging the executive order on transgender girls’ participation in school sports.

• You can follow these online trackers to monitor lawsuit challenges to various executive actions:
• Democracy Forward
• Education Counsel

• We did not address any specifics for the higher education context in this webinar. For information on sex-based discrimination in higher ed, see: Women’s Law Project and National Women’s Law Center. 

• Parents and community members: Please consider sending a letter like this to your school board and superintendent advocating a continuing commitment to equity for all students.

• ELC fact sheets provide more information about engaging with your school board:
• The School Board, Its Power, and How to Advocate
• Transparency in Schools: Sunshine Act & Right-to-Know Law 

• To report discrimination, you can connect with:
• ELC Helpline, or call 215-238-6970 (Eastern and Central PA), 412-258-2120 (Western PA), or email intake@elc-pa.org
• ACLU-PA intake
• Or file a complaint directly with the PA Human Relations Commission (PHRC): How to File a Complaint to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission; PHRC webpage for filing a complaint

• You can find many Pennsylvania organizations supporting LGBTQ adults and students at the Pennsylvania Coalition of LGBTQ Organizations

• The PA-WINS coalition (Pennsylvanians for Welcoming and Inclusive Schools) supports people fighting against anti-trans policies and book bans from their school boards.

• Join us for another joint webinar from ELC and ACLU-PA! The Truth About Executive Orders and Lawful DEI in Pennsylvania Schools on Wednesday, April 23, 12-1 PM. Register here!