# data[].attributes.body
Upon completion of my Master of Education in Administration I hope to become a secondary school principal. I wish to work in schools who serve underprivileged students.

# data[].attributes.body
I interviewed Mrs. Bennet who is an assistant principal at Scott Middle School. The following are her top five responses to legal and ethical issues she deals with on a daily basis:
1. Special Education and 504 documentations
2. FERPA protocols and violations
3. Searches/seizures of students' belongings, including digital
4. Transgender/questioning student rights
5. Bullying protocols and documentations

# data[].attributes.body
This article in Education Week outlines legal issues teacher unions are facing.  Unions are facing lawsuits surrounding their ability to collect fees from teachers who are not members of the union without these teachers permission (Will, 2018).

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/10/15/this-road-just-got-a-lot-harder.html

# data[].attributes.body
This article in Education Week outlines a federal investigation to transgender rights violations which may have led to the assault of a transgender student (Blad, 2018).

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/10/10/feds-probing-transgender-policy-alleged-assault.html

# data[].attributes.body
Civil rights issues concerning the rights of transgender students is a fairly new, yet hot topic schools must be prepared for. These students must be made to feel safe in their school environment and the school must work to make sure the student's rights are not infringed upon.

# data[].attributes.body
A lack of school policy for transgender students coupled with civil rights violations leads to a lawsuit against a school (Beese, 2018).
https://journals-sagepub-com.easydb.angelo.edu/doi/pdf/10.1177/1555458917731867

# data[].attributes.body
The ACLU fights for transgender student rights (ACLU, n.d.

https://www.aclunc.org/our-work/know-your-rights/transgender-student-rights-school

# data[].attributes.body
The rights of transgender individuals in the school setting is a fairly new topic that schools are having issues dealing with.  Schools need to be proactive in creating policies which ensure the needs and rights of transgender individuals are met. Students are not required to have a medical diagnosis to be considered transgender (ACLU, n.d.).  These students have the right to be treated equally by their peers and the right to not be bullied.  Transgender students have a right to keep their sexual identity private from their peers.  They also have the right to participate in sport activities for the gender in which they identify (ACLU, n.d.).  Any violation of these rights could result in a law suit against the school.

The lack of a proactive approach to changing school policy as well as civil rights violations led to a lawsuit in the case of a transgender student, Bobby.  In this case, there was no official school policy in the treating of transgender students.  Bobby allowed to go by his transgender name and preferred pronouns but was denied access to male facilities such as restrooms and locker rooms.  As a result, the Civil Rights Office in Bobby’s region filed a lawsuit against the school on his behalf on the grounds of sexual discrimination.  The United States Department of Justice and Department of Education sent letters to the school district instructing the district to allow Bobby to use the facilities which align with his gender identification, the district refused (Beese & Martin, 2018).

Lawsuits such as the one in Bobby’ case are avoidable if the correct policy is in place.  School districts must stay in tune with rapidly changing social norms to avoid situations such as Bobby’s.  School policies must also align with state and federal guidelines so that civil rights violations as well as lawsuits may be avoided.  The violations are damaging to the individual and lawsuits are an expense most schools cannot afford.

# data[].attributes.body
ACLU (n.d.) Know your rights: Transgender student rights at school. Retrieved
from https://www.aclunc.org/our-work/know-your-rights/transgender-student-
rights-school

Beese, J. A., & Martin, J. L. (2018). The bathroom case: Creating a supportive
school environment for transgender and gender nonconforming students.
Journal of cases in educational leadership, 21(2), 65–76. Retrieved from
https://easydb.angelo.edu/loginurl=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?       direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1178939&site=eds-live

Blad, E. (2018, October 9). Feds probing transgender policy, alleged assault.
Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/10/10/feds-
probing-transgender-policy-alleged-assault.html

Will, M. (2018, October 15). ‘This road just got a lot harder’: Teachers’ Unions hit
with new round of lawsuits. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/ew/
articles/2018/10/15/this-road-just-got-a-lot-harder.html