LAUSD's Michelle King, President Obama in agreement on transgender restroom policy

The chief of the Los Angeles Unified School District praised the Obama administration’s directive Friday to schools across the country, saying restrooms at public schools must honor gender identity.

School District Superintendent Michelle King applauded the guidance, saying districts must ensure the rights of transgender students.

“The Obama administration’s initiative advances the District’s long-standing commitment to providing a school climate in which students feel welcome and comfortable,” King said in a statement Friday. “This is yet another opportunity to help our students develop the values to contribute to an ever-changing society.”

Federal officials said public schools must permit transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their chosen gender identity, according to the directive, issued amid a court fight between the federal govement and North Carolina.

The guidance from leaders at the departments of Education and Justice says public schools are obligated to treat transgender students in a way that matches their gender identity, even if their education records or identity documents indicate a different sex.

“There is no room in our schools for discrimination of any kind, including discrimination against transgender students on the basis of their sex,” Attoey General Loretta Lynch said in a statement accompanying the directive, which is being sent to school districts Friday.

King said the LAUSD was committed to providing a safe leaing environment for everyone, including transgender students.