The Education Law Center joined with parents, students, and community members to successfully persuade the Manheim Township School District to table an alarming proposal to move toward excluding transgender students from participating in sports aligned with their gender identity. ELC crafted an open letter to the school board, outlining how such a policy would illegally discriminate against transgender students in violation of federal Title IX law.

We warned that a trans-exclusion policy would create a hostile environment at the school. Students also gave powerful testimony to the school board against the proposed policy.

While we are energized by this win, our work is far from over. Similar policies targeting transgender youth are appearing in school districts across the state.

There are still real problems and disparities in K12 sports – allowing trans students to participate is NOT one of them. 

ELC and our allies were able to block a slew of harmful education bills over the two-year session that ends on Nov. 30 – bills that would have prevented discussion of race, sexual orientation, and gender identity in schools and undermined rights and supports for Black, Brown and LGBTQ students. But we expect this fight to pick up again in 2023.

Sen. Doug Mastriano made a last-minute push on SB 996, a so-called “parent bill of rights” law, holding a public hearing with extremist groups like Moms of Liberty. Senate leaders made clear the bill would be considered in the next session. The Senate book ban bill, SB 2177, and Don’t Say Gay bill, SB 2178, remained bottled up in the House, but we expect those bills to be reintroduced next year as well.

Altogether 10 such bills were introduced, and one, the transgender sports discrimination bill, passed both chambers, prompting a veto from Gov. Wolf. The threat of gubernatorial veto proved a powerful tool this session to block this harmful legislation. 

Kristina’s presentation offered strategies for challenging book bans and censorship of curriculum and classroom discussion and explained the strong legal protections against discrimination and exclusion of LGBTQ students. ELC produced a one-page resource list to support advocacy for inclusive schools. You can watch the full presentation here.

ELC joined other civil rights organizations in submitting an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in a key case about rights to access federal courts, Health and Hospital Corporation v. Talevski. The amicus brief urges the court to preserve a longstanding legal framework critical to enforcing essential statutory rights that safeguard children’s health, well-being, and access to education. The framework recognizes the right of individuals – including children – to enforce express statutory rights created through Congress’s spending power, allowing for lawsuits against government agencies. In Talevski, petitioners ask the high court to eliminate these rights. Granting such relief would undermine state accountability and profoundly undermine the ability of lawyers to enforce the statutory rights of children and others. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument in the matter on Nov. 8.

ELC works to ensure access to quality public education for all children, including students living in poverty, students of color, students with disabilities, students in the foster care and juvenile justice systems, multilingual learners, LGBTQ youth, and students experiencing homelessness. This year, Giving Tuesday falls on Tuesday, Nov. 29, and we hope you will consider supporting ELC and our mission when planning your charitable giving this holiday season.

Your donations help to make a difference in the lives and educational futures of children across Pennsylvania. If you'd like to donate, please click here. 

If you have not returned your mail ballot yet, find out when and how to return your ballot here. If you are voting in person, you can find your polling place here.

We are excited to welcome a new addition to our team: Zoe Masters.

Zoe recently joined the Philadelphia office of the Education Law Center as an Equal Justice Works fellow, sponsored by Greenberg Traurig, LLP. Her two-year fellowship project aims to ensure meaningful access to high-quality education for young people and families navigating alternative and nontraditional school pathways in greater Philadelphia, including short-term disciplinary placements and accelerated credit recovery programs. She will represent students and families, leverage community partnerships and legal research to hold these schools accountable for their role in the pushout crisis, and support young people in advocating for schools that better serve their needs.

Zoe graduated from Yale Law School in 2022. During law school, she interned with ELC and with Peer Defense Project at IntegrateNYC, where she helped translate legal information about the New York City school system into an accessible format that young people could use in advocating for political power. Zoe was an educator for six years, primarily teaching high school physics at Community Charter School of Cambridge in Cambridge, MA.

ELC is seeking a director of our Western Pennsylvania office in Pittsburgh, who will report to the executive director in Philadelphia. The candidate should have a demonstrated commitment to public interest law, civil rights, racial justice, and advancing the rights of underserved populations. The Pittsburgh director provides leadership and direction to the Pittsburgh office, including overseeing direct service to underserved students, participating in local and statewide policy advocacy and litigation, building and strengthening community partnerships, and engaging with funders and board members.

See our website for a full description of job and internship opportunities at ELC.

Persistent Unequal Access to Educational Opportunity in Pennsylvania For K-12 Students by Justis Freeman and David Bamat at Research for Action.

School Dress Codes Aren’t Fair to Everyone, Federal Study Finds by Eesha Pendharkar for Education Week.

When your disability gets you sent home from school by Meredith Kolodner and Annie Ma for Hechinger Report.

Why a Trans Student and Her Mom Are Fighting Their District’s Anti-LGBTQ Policies by Eesha Pendharkar for Education Week.