Politics

Obama to Order Public Schools: Allow Transgender Students Access to Bathrooms

President Barack Obama addresses the Asian Pacific American Institute of Congressional Studies (APAICS) 22nd annual awards gala dinner in Washington, May 4, 2016.

The Obama administration tomorrow will instruct public school districts nationwide to allow transgender students to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity, sources tell ABC News.

As a condition of receiving federal funds, "a school may provide separate facilities on the basis of sex, but must allow transgender students access to such facilities consistent with their gender identity," reads a draft of a letter outlining guidance for schools, obtained by ABC News.

While schools are permitted to offer single-use restrooms, they should not require transgender students to use single-use facilities if their classmates are not also required to use them, adds the letter, which will be signed by officials from the Departments of Education and Justice.