ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — A federal judge ruled against the Pine-Richland School District on Monday in a lawsuit over transgender students’ bathroom rights.
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The judge ruled that the district must allow transgender students to use the bathroom that matches the gender with which they identify.
. Lambda Legal filed the lawsuit on the students’ behalf after the Pine-Richland School Board in September voted to reverse the school district's longstanding, inclusive restroom practice.
Three transgender students, including Jackie Evancho’s sister, Juliet Evancho,
[ sued the district in October ]
“These three students stood up for who they are and the district has to recognize they have legal responsibility to treat them with respect,” Lambda Legal staff attorney Omar Gonzalez-Pagan said.
The students' attorney said that this ruling sends a bigger message to other schools.
“(If) any district violates rights of students, they will be subject to a lawsuit. We'll see you in court,” Gonzalez-Pagan said.
The ruling comes less than a week after the Trump administration lifted federal guidelines that allowed transgender students to use school bathrooms and locker rooms matching their gender identities.
RELATED: Pittsburgh's Evancho requests meeting with Trump over transgender bathroom guidance
The administration came down on the side of states' rights, lifting Obama-era federal guidelines that had been characterized by Republicans as an example of overreach.
Pine-Richland School District school board member Peter Lyons sent Channel 11 the following statement: