Transgender Student to Receive $300K in Discrimination Suit

Minnesota's largest school district will pay $300,000 to settle a discrimination lawsuit with a transgender student who was barred from using the boys' locker room, school officials and supporters of the student said Tuesday.

The Anoka-Hennepin School District also agreed to make several policy changes, including a rule that allows every student to use all facilities consistent with their gender identity, along with a complaint procedure and prohibition on reprisals. Training on the policies will be provided for school board members, staff and students.

The student swam for Coon Rapids High School in 2015-16 and had used the boys' locker room for much of that season, his attorneys said. That February, the school board stepped in and told the student he would be disciplined if he continued to use the locker room.

The move led to bullying and threats against the student and his family, the lawsuit said. The student attended the high school for two years until he and his family made the decision to switch school districts. The complaint was filed in 2019,

The district said in a statement that the state Court of Appeals provided clarity on the matter when it affirmed a district-court decision that kept the suit alive.

"All legal issues have been resolved," the release said.