The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Pennsylvania filed a federal discrimination complaint with the civil-rights divisions of both the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education against one of the state’s largest school districts for “discriminating against gay and transgender students.”

The ACLU argues a proposed policy which makes teachers and staff members identify students by their legal names and biological sex unless the parents have approved otherwise, is discrimination against gay and trans students.

The lawsuit, filed October 6, accuses the Central Bucks School District of engaging in “illegal discrimination.” The complaint states the district has chronically failed “to take reasonable and necessary measures to address persistent and severe bullying and harassment of LGBTQ+ students generally, and gender non-conforming students in particular.”

National Review reports:

The complaint was filed on behalf of seven people, whose names and specific allegations — comprising 28 pages of the 72-page complaint — were redacted from the copy released publicly.

School board president Dana Hunter addressed the complaint at the beginning of an emotional and sometimes contentious board meeting on Tuesday night. She said the district is committed to every student and is “resolute and united in its zero tolerance for discrimination, bullying, or harassment of any kind.” The district’s polices, she said, are designed to protect students.

“Should a staff member fail to follow policies, they put student well-being at risk,” Hunter said.

 The debate in Central Bucks is just the latest touchpoint in what has turned into a nationwide debate over how teachers and schools should handle students who want to change their name and gender identity in school, but without their parents’ knowledge. In nearby Virginia, the Department of Education released new guidelineslast month requiring teachers to obtain written permission from parents before beginning to treat students as transgender. Other school districts, including in Iowa and Wisconsin, have faced lawsuits for helping students to socially transition to another gender without their parents’ consent.