<ul class="summary-list"><li>Trans student <keyword id="11978712" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="gavin-grimm" source="Orion">Gavin Grimm</keyword> sued his school board in 2015 for blocking him from the boys' bathroom.</li><li>Courts ruled Grimm was discriminated against, and the school board will now pay out $1.3 million.</li><li>Grimm said he wants those passing anti-trans legislation to know: "Slowly and surely we're coming for all of them."</li></ul><p>The Virginia school board that denied <keyword id="11918053" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="transgender" source="Orion">transgender</keyword> student Gavin Grimm access to the boys' bathroom will pay $1.3 million in a lawsuit settlement.</p><p>"It's absolutely vindication," Grimm told Insider. "The court found that what they did was wrong and it was discrimination and it was not going to go without consequence, and I think that's fantastic."</p><p>Grimm, 22, sued the Gloucester County School Board in 2015 after it prohibited him from using the bathroom that matched his gender identity, arguing the policy violated Title IX, which bans sex discrimination in schools.</p><p>The American Civil Liberties Union represented Grimm in the lawsuit, which was praised by transgender rights advocates. In June, the <a href="https://www.insider.com/supreme-court-upheld-decision-to-let-trans-students-use-bathroom-2021-6">Supreme Court</a> declined to review the case, upholding the lower court ruling that Grimm was discriminated against in violation of federal law.</p><p>The ACLU announced Thursday that the case had been settled and that the Gloucester County School Board would be ordered to pay $1.3 million to cover attorney fees and other costs associated with the case.</p><p>"We are glad that this long litigation is finally over and that Gavin has been fully vindicated by the courts, but it should not have taken over six years of expensive litigation to get to this point," Josh Block, senior staff attorney with the ACLU LGBTQ &amp; HIV Project, said in a <a href="https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/gloucester-county-school-board-pay-13-million-resolve-gavin-grimms-case">statement</a>.</p><p>"After a year in which state legislatures have introduced an unprecedented number of bills targeting trans youth, we hope that the fee award will give other school boards and lawmakers pause before they use discrimination to score political points," he continued.</p><p>The ACLU has previously said at least 28 states are voting on anti-trans legislation this year, <a href="https://www.insider.com/over-half-of-us-states-tried-passing-anti-trans-bills-2021-3">Insider's Canela López</a> reported. Many of the bills directly target transgender students by banning them from playing sports or using bathrooms that match their gender identity.</p><p>The Gloucester County School Board released a short <a href="https://gets.gc.k12.va.us/_theme/files/Press%20Releases/August%2026%2C%202021%20Press%20Release.pdf">statement</a> about the settlement, saying its insurance provider had agreed to pay attorney fees and costs resulting from the litigation.</p><p>Grimm said he personally will not be receiving the funds from the payout but expressed gratitude that the ACLU was able to work on his behalf and would now be compensated.</p><p>He said the years-long case was worth "every drop of energy" that he put into it and that he'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.</p><p>He hopes that this legal win and others like it will deter anti-trans policies in the future by setting a precedent that says discrimination against trans people will not win in court.</p><p>"There's plenty of states that still have ongoing anti-trans legislation," Grimm said. "But slowly and surely we're coming for all of them."</p><p>"Their hatred and discrimination is struck down in court over and over again," he said of lawmakers pushing anti-trans bills. "I hope that they look at this and know that their time is coming to an end."</p><p><em>Have a <keyword id="11893589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news" source="Orion">news</keyword> tip? Contact this reporter at </em><a href="mailto:kvlamis@insider.com?inline-read-more"><em>kvlamis@insider.com</em></a><em>.</em></p>

A Virginia school board will pay $1.3 million over a lawsuit brought by a transgender student who was denied access to the boys' bathroom

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Supreme Court upheld the Fourth Circuit of Appeal's ruling to allow trans students to use bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity.</li><li>The Fourth Circuit said in 2020 that Title IX and the Equal Protection Act can protect trans students from discriminatory bathroom policies.</li><li>Only Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas said they would grant cert in the appeal.</li></ul><p>The <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/062821zor_6j37.pdf">Supreme Court announced</a> on Monday that it would uphold a previous court's decision to allow trans students to use bathrooms that align with their gender identity. Only two of nine justices said they would grant cert in the case: Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.</p><p><em><keyword id="3794601" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="gavin-grimm">Gavin Grimm</keyword> v. Gloucester County School Board, </em>arose in 2015 after a Virginia school prohibited Grimm, a <keyword id="6358953" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Transgender">transgender</keyword> male student, from using the bathroom corresponding with his gender identity. Grimm sued the school board citing Title IX discrimination and the Equal Protection Clause, but the Eastern District of Virginia court dismissed the lawsuit.</p><p>The Fourth Circuit of the US Court of Appeals overruled the previous decision, noting that the lower court ignored <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/20150107-title-ix-prince-letter.pdf">guidance from the Department of Education</a> that "a school generally must treat transgender students consistent with their gender identity." The appeals court also granted Grimm a preliminary injunction to let him use his school's bathroom in June 2016. </p><p>The Supreme Court withdrew the injunction just two months later, but the case was ultimately remanded after Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos reversed previous guidance from the DOE, leading the Supreme Court to vacate the case and the Fourth Circuit's ruling due to the change in administration policy.</p><p>Due to the Supreme Court's decision, Grimm's case was reheard in the Eastern District of Virginia in 2019, several years after he had graduated high school. This time, however, the court ruled in favor of Grimm, and the decision was upheld once again by the Fourth Circuit who said that <a href="https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinions/191952.P.pdf">"it is time to move forward."</a></p><p>In his public meeting with the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My0GYq_Wydw&amp;ab_channel=ACLUACLU">Gloucester County School Board</a> in 2015, Grimm pleaded with the board, saying that he's "just a human. I'm just a boy." Six years later, after the Supreme Court upheld his rights, he said <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinGrimmVA/status/1409511554555469824">"it's over. We won."</a></p><p>ACLU attorney Josh Block noted on Twitter that the Supreme Court denying cert is not a ruling in itself. The case will likely be used as precedent in similar cases in the 4th Circuit, which is also home to North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Josh Block  (@JoshABlock) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1409516120181256197?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2021</a></blockquote><p>2021 is only halfway over, but trans activists are <a href="https://twitter.com/SharonMcGowanDC/status/1409505736112099332?s=20">taking the ruling as a win</a> amidst a year where state legislatures passed a record amount of anti-trans legislation. Despite the Biden Administration's push for greater LGBT acceptance, the US Senate has yet to pass the Equality Act which would grant greater protections to queer Americans.</p>

The Supreme Court upheld a decision to let trans students use the bathroom that matches their gender identity

<p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/financing-a-sustainable-future-2022"></a></p><div type="image" title="Yelp's chief diversity officer Miriam Warren" height="1796" width="2400" msid="91946038" hostid="261"></div><ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11948152" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="yelp" source="Orion">Yelp</keyword> exec Miriam Warren has helped the company expand its products supporting <keyword id="11911085" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="lgbtq" source="Orion">LGBTQ</keyword> rights.</li><li>The chief diversity officer has also become an outspoken leader on racial justice and abortion. </li></ul><p>Over the last year, Yelp put a firm stake in the ground on LGBTQ rights. In May 2021, the tech company unveiled a feature for <a href="https://blog.yelp.com/businesses/supporting-lgbtq-owned-businesses/">LGBTQ-owned</a> businesses to identify themselves, making it easier for consumers to find them. </p><p>And in March 2022, Miriam Warren, Yelp's chief diversity officer, <a href="https://blog.yelp.com/news/we-stand-with-the-transgender-and-lgbtq-community/">publicly denounced</a> the anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ bills in <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-04-26/anti-lgbtq-legislation-texas-florida-troubles-queer-trans-la-residents">Florida and Texas</a>. For a month, the company also "double matched," or matched and then donated a second time, donations from its 4,400 employees to LGBTQ nonprofits.</p><p>Founded in 2004, Yelp operates as a platform for users to connect with and rate local businesses. Its focus on diversity in its products, services, and public comments over the last few years — Warren also publicly supported <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/yelp-exec-abortion-travel-expenses-benefit-miriam-warren-2022-4?utmSource=twitter&amp;utmContent=referral&amp;utmTerm=topbar&amp;referrer=twitter">abortion access</a> in the US, for example — could provide a roadmap for other business leaders, showing how product innovation can make it easier for users to support underrepresented groups in their communities.</p><p>In 2018, Yelp added an "Open to All" attribute businesses could self-add to their company profiles. The attribute tells Yelp consumers that serve all customers regardless of sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, religion, disability, gender identity, or gender expression. Since the roll out, over 635,000 businesses have added the attribute and taken the "Open to All" pledge, a promise to serve all customers with respect regardless of differences.  </p><p>"When you look at who the economy really works for and who it doesn't, it becomes all the more obvious that there are companies who can influence this, who can drive traffic to women-owned businesses, to Asian-owned businesses and so on," Warren said. "These companies really should do that because that's what consumers are looking for." </p><h2><strong>Figure out what your community cares about </strong></h2><p><strong></strong></p><div type="image" title="A person carries a rainbow umbrella at Miami Beach Pride." height="2000" width="3000" msid="91946039" hostid="261"></div><p>From employee surveys and conversations in employee resource groups, Yelp knew that <keyword id="12121756" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="trans-rights" source="Orion">trans rights</keyword> were an important issue for the company, Warren said. </p><p>In 2017, Yelp joined <a href="https://blog.yelp.com/news/yelp-stands-gavin-grimm/">52 other companies</a> in signing an amicus brief supporting 17-year-old transgender student Gavin Grimm, who was barred from using the men's bathroom at a Virginia high school. In 2021, the school district agreed to settle the case and will pay Grimm $1.3 million. Also in 2017, Yelp began working with businesses to identify gender neutral bathrooms for consumers and the company made its bathrooms at its San Francisco headquarters gender neutral. </p><p>"People who are affected by anti-trans laws are primarily young people. These people represent our friends, our colleagues, our consumers, people who pay for advertising on Yelp," said Warren. "It's a really big reason why we have to take a stand on this issue and many others." </p><p>Warren, who's been at Yelp since 2007, added that the trend of speaking out on issues important to stakeholders is here to stay. </p><p>"This is something that you're not going to see going away, especially for a younger demographic of consumers who are consistently looking at the values that companies and businesses hold," she added. </p><h2><strong>Make small changes and build on success </strong></h2><p><strong></strong></p><div type="image" title="A sign calls for justice for George Floyd as the several thousand strong march walks on in direction of downtown Portland, OR, on June 3, 2020. The protest was organized to voice concerns over police brutality in the aftermath of the recent death of George Floyd, an African-American man from Minnesota, who died in police custody on May 25, 2020." height="2546" width="3826" msid="91946040" hostid="261"></div><p>In the weeks following George Floyd's murder in May 2020, Yelp saw searches for Black-owned businesses skyrocket on its platform.  </p><p>So that June, the company added a feature where Black-owned businesses could self-identify so that consumers could more easily find them. In addition, Yelp launched a <a href="https://blog.yelp.com/news/yelp-partners-with-myblackreceipt-jrue-and-lauren-holiday-to-drive-5-million-to-black-owned-businesses-this-holiday-season/">campaign</a> to drive more business with Black-owned businesses. The company also announced it would match employee donations to nonprofits that support racial justice. </p><p>"People really want to vote with their dollars," Warren said. </p><p>Also in 2020, the technology company announced it was going to move <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/15/investing/yelp-10-million-black-banks/index.html">$10 million</a> of its own cash into Black-owned financial institutions that specialize in lending to historically marginalized communities. </p><p>"I am particularly excited about Yelp continuing to double down on a lot of the things that we have already done," she said, "There's still a lot more work for us to do partnering with these communities, getting deeper relationships with these businesses, and really lifting them up in a lot of different ways." </p>

How Yelp is innovating its product &mdash; and using its voice &mdash; to drive social change

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Individuals whose <keyword id="6358360" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="gender">gender</keyword> identity does not match their <keyword id="6362435" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="birth-certificate">birth certificate</keyword> can experience <keyword id="43748" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="discrimination">discrimination</keyword>, harassment, and violence.</li><li>Birth certificates were previously used to enforce segregation and prevent interracial marriage.</li><li>Many modern birth certificates only have male and female options for <keyword id="6355231" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Sex">sex</keyword> designations.</li></ul><p>The <keyword id="120082" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="American-Medical-Association">American Medical Association</keyword> advocated in <a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/2021-05/j21-handbook-addendum-ref-cmte-d.pdf">a June report</a> for the removal of sex designations from the public portion of birth certificates, recommending that it be visible for medical and statistical use only.</p><p>While birth certificates are not public documents due to the fact that they contain personal information, individuals have to provide them for a variety of reasons, including obtaining licenses and passports, registering for school, and getting married.</p><p>Individuals whose gender identity does not match the sex designation on their birth certificate can experience discrimination, harassment, and violence whenever their birth certificate is requested.</p><p>When <a href="https://www.insider.com/supreme-court-upheld-decision-to-let-trans-students-use-bathroom-2021-6">Gavin Grimm</a> came out as <keyword id="6358953" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Transgender">transgender</keyword>, his school board adopted a discriminatory policy prohibiting boys and girls "with gender identity issues" from using the same common restrooms as students and forced him to use separate restrooms until he graduated, according to the <a href="https://www.aclu.org/cases/grimm-v-gloucester-county-school-board">ACLU</a>. Even after Grimm legally changed his sex to male under Virginia law and received a new birth certificate, the school board provided him a transcript identifying him as female, the ACLU said.</p><p>The process for amending sex designations on birth certificates varies from state to state, according to the report, with some requiring court orders or proof of surgery from a medical provider. Tennessee and Ohio do not allow amendments of the sex marker on birth certificates.</p><p>Grimm's case is far from a novelty. Birth certificates have been used as a tool for discrimination since their implementation in 1900. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2018/09/11/birth-certificates-have-always-been-weapon-white-supremacists/">The Washington Post</a> reported that Walter Plecker, the state registrar of vital statistics in Virginia from 1912 to 1946, worked with the white-supremacist Anglo-Saxon Clubs of America to persuade the state legislature to pass the 1924 Racial Integrity Act, which forbade interracial marriage, created the "<a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/jefferson/mixed/onedrop.html">one-drop rule</a>," and made it a felony to falsely register a person's race on a government document.</p><p>"Historically, birth certificates have also been used to discriminate, promote racial hierarchies, and prohibit<br />miscegenation. For that reason, the race of an individual's parents is no longer listed on the public portion of birth certificates," the report said. "However, sex designation is still included on the public portion of the birth certificate, despite the potential for discrimination."</p><p>Additionally, many current birth certificates only have male or female listed as options for sex markers, forcing many <keyword id="2058740" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="intersex">intersex</keyword>, transgender, and gender non-conforming individuals to select a marker that does not reflect their gender expression. </p><p>If sex designation is removed from the public portion of birth certificates, it would have little to no impact on data collected for medical, public <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="health">health</keyword>, and statistical purposes, according to the report.</p><p>After <a href="https://twitter.com/WebMD/status/1421312166108581888?s=20">a WebMD tweet publicized the recommendation</a>, several right-wing outlets and pundits responded with criticism. The Federalist, a conservative online magazine, has published multiple pieces about the recommendation, including one titled "Don't Let The SJWs At The American Medical Association Neuter Your Birth Certificate."</p><p>Despite backlash, the association has historically crafted policy recognizing that every individual has the right to determine their gender identity and sex designation on government documents, according to a <a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-announced-policies-adopted-final-day-special-meeting">June press release</a>.</p><p>"Assigning sex using a binary variable and placing it on the public portion of the birth certificate perpetuates a view that it is immutable and fails to recognize the medical spectrum of gender identity," the report reads. "Imposing such a categorization system risks stifling self-expression and self-identification and contributes to marginalization and minoritization."</p>

American Medical Association recommends removing sex markers from public portions of birth certificates

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2021/07/09/federal-court-blocks-tennessees-anti-trans-restroom-law-going-into-effect/7919265002/">federal judge blocked</a> <keyword id="399608" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Tennessee">Tennessee</keyword>'s bill that requires businesses to notify customers if they have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tennessee-law-businesses-must-post-sign-transgender-bathrooms-2021-5">trans-inclusive restrooms</a>. </li><li>Transgender advocates criticized the bill for alienating trans people for trying to use public restrooms and businesses trying to be inclusive. </li><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/2016/05/15/477954537/when-a-transgender-person-uses-a-public-bathroom-who-is-at-risk">Experts say</a> bathroom bills like these can directly harm trans people, making them more vulnerable to attacks.</li></ul><p>A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked a Tennessee law requiring businesses to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tennessee-law-businesses-must-post-sign-transgender-bathrooms-2021-5">publicly post "policy" signs</a> showing that they have trans-friendly bathrooms from going into effect.</p><p>Middle District of Tennessee Judge Aleta A. Trauger granted a temporary injunction on Friday that blocks the law, <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2021/07/09/federal-court-blocks-tennessees-anti-trans-restroom-law-going-into-effect/7919265002/">according to The Tennessean.</a></p><p>The law was signed by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee in May, and requires businesses to post signs with a red "NOTICE" title at the top.</p><p>The rest of the sign must read: "This facility maintains a policy of allowing the use of restrooms by either biological sex, regardless of the designation on the restroom."</p><p>Advocates initially criticized the bill for alienating trans people for simply trying to use the restroom, which can make them more vulnerable to transphobic violence. </p><p>Human Rights Campaign president Alphonso David said the bill could "cause real harm to transgender Tennesseans" if passed into law. </p><p>The American Civil Liberties Union and its Tennessee chapter had filed a lawsuit against the state on behalf of business owners, saying that the law was "unconstitutional." </p><p>The law was the latest attempt by GOP-led state governments to <a href="https://www.insider.com/over-half-of-us-states-tried-passing-anti-trans-bills-2021-3">pass laws targeting transgender citizens</a>. Currently, there are over 100 anti-trans bills that have been introduced to local legislatures in 2021 alone, many of them directly <a href="https://www.insider.com/arkansas-sets-dangerous-precedent-for-trans-youth-in-the-us-2021-3">targeting trans children</a>.</p><h2>Advocates say transgender bathroom bills have a direct impact on trans health and safety</h2><p>The first prominent flashpoint in the trans bathroom debate took place in 2013 when a Colorado school district attempted to bar a trans 6-year-old from using the girls' restroom at her school.</p><p>The Colorado Civil Rights Division <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/about-a-girl-coy-mathis-fight-to-change-gender-64264/">ruled against the school's decision</a>, setting a precedent in favor of trans children using the restroom of their choosing at school.</p><p>The US Supreme Court upheld this precedent in the last week of Pride month this year.</p><p>On June 28, <a href="https://www.insider.com/supreme-court-upheld-decision-to-let-trans-students-use-bathroom-2021-6">SCOTUS refused to hear a case</a> appealing the decision to allow trans students to use the restroom that corresponds with their gender, <em>Gavin Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board.</em></p><p>Advocates say bathroom bills that target trans kids are dangerous because they send a message that trans people are lying about their identity or <a href="https://time.com/4314896/transgender-bathroom-bill-male-predators-argument/">trying to "trick" people</a>. </p><p>"It doesn't make any sense at all to let grown adult men - strangers - to be alone in bathrooms with little girls," <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/04/28/transgender-bathroom-bills-discrimination/32594395/">Senator Ted Cruz said</a> in 2016 while speaking in support of a trans bathroom bill. </p><p>This same sentiment trickles into everyday harassment, with the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2016/05/15/477954537/when-a-transgender-person-uses-a-public-bathroom-who-is-at-risk">majority of trans people reporting</a> they have experienced some kind of harassment in public restrooms. </p>

Federal court blocks Tennessee's anti-trans bathroom law from going into effect

<p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/58a1d7616e09a872148b5195-2400/ap206091930882.jpg" alt="This Tuesday Aug. 25, 2015 photo shows Gavin Grimm speaks during an interview at his home in Gloucester, Va. Grimm is a transgender student whose demand to use the boys' restrooms has divided the community and prompted a lawsuit." data-mce-source="AP Photo/Steve Helber" data-link="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Transgender-Bathroom-Lawsuit-Virginia/7f0b03c81f764621a86f18c7893e3fa7/19/0" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Transgender-Bathroom-Lawsuit-Virginia/7f0b03c81f764621a86f18c7893e3fa7/19/0">AP Photo/Steve Helber</a></span></p><p class="caption">Actress Lavern Cox stood on stage at the Grammys and gave a shout out to a Virginia high school student.</p></div><p></p></div></div>On Sunday night in front of the millions of viewers watching the 2017 Grammy Awards, actress Lavern Cox stood on stage and gave a shout out to a Virginia high school student.</span></p><p>"Everyone, please Google 'Gavin Grimm,'" Cox said. "He's going to the Supreme Court in March. #StandWithGavin."</p><p>Cox, who is transgender and is an advocate for LGBT rights, elevated awareness for the case which was likely unknown to many viewers. </p><p>Grimm is a transgender student who sued his high school in federal court for refusing to allow him to use the boys' bathroom, which corresponds to his gender identity.</p><p>Last year, The <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/04/19/474853355/federal-court-sides-with-transgender-teen-in-virginia-bathroom-case">US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled in Grimm's favor. </a></p><p>The court pointed to<a href="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-departments-education-and-justice-release-joint-guidance-help-schools-ensure-civil-rights-transgender-students"> guidance from The Department of Education and Justice Department</a> directing schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity.</p><p><span>The Gloucester County School Board appealed the decision and the c<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/29/us/politics/supreme-court-to-rule-in-transgender-access-case.html">ase is now set to be heard by the Supreme Court </a>in March.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tony-robbins-psychology-strategy-confidence-2017-1">TONY ROBBINS: How to pull yourself out of a funk</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="B2bHAweTrCYvvw4T3SRS6_9XzuuSa9ql" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'B2bHAweTrCYvvw4T3SRS6_9XzuuSa9ql',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

A teenager whose lawsuit against his high school is going to the Supreme Court got a shout out at the Grammys

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/58adcd9601fe58ae018b611c-2400/undefined" alt="President-elect Donald Trump looks on as Betsy DeVos, his nominee for Secretary of Education, speaks at the DeltaPlex Arena, December 9, 2016 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. President-elect Donald Trump is continuing his victory tour across the country." data-mce-source="Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images" data-link="http://www.gettyimages.com/license/628833152" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/license/628833152">Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images</a></span></p><p class="caption">Betsy DeVos, pictured, reportedly disagreed with an order surrounding transgender student rights.</p></div><p></p></div></div>The Trump Administration is expected to unveil guidance rolling back protections for transgender students this week. </p><p>But behind the scenes, Secretary of <keyword id="6355445" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Education">Education</keyword> Betsy DeVos and Attorney General Jeff Sessions privately sparred over the order, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/us/politics/devos-sessions-transgender-students-rights.html?smid=tw-nytpolitics&amp;smtyp=cur">The New York Times reported.</a></p><p>The order would reverse guidance from the <a href="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-departments-education-and-justice-release-joint-guidance-help-schools-ensure-civil-rights-transgender-students">Obama Administration directing schools</a> to allow transgender students the right to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity.</p><p>DeVos told Trump she was uncomfortable signing the order, three Republicans with direct knowledge of the internal discussions told the Times.</p><p>Sessions pushed DeVos to reverse her stance and agree to the order. He is reliant on her support as the order must come from the Department of Education and Justice Department.</p><p>During the highly contentious Senate confirmation process for DeVos, there were questions over whether she would protect LGBT students in her role. Critics cited her family's donations to organizations which oppose gay rights. Still, colleagues of DeVos have <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/28/us/politics/betsy-devos-gay-transgender-rights.html">portrayed her as someone supportive of LGBT rights.</a></p><p>Sessions' ideas surrounding LGBT rights are less nuanced. He has voted against such expanding rights throughout his career in the Senate.</p><p>A draft of the order obtained by the Times cited confusion over the guidance set forth by the Obama Administration. School administrators, parents, and students have "struggled to understand and apply the statements of policy and guidance," the draft read, according to the Times.</p><p>The forthcoming order will have rippling impact across the nation for school systems attempting to update bathroom policies.</p><p>The most high-profile case relates to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/gavin-grimms-supreme-court-case-got-a-nod-at-the-grammys-2017-2">high-school student Gavin Grimm.</a> Grimm is a transgender student who sued his high school in federal court for refusing to allow him to use the boys' bathroom, which corresponds to his gender identity.</p><p>In 2016, The <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/04/19/474853355/federal-court-sides-with-transgender-teen-in-virginia-bathroom-case">US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled in Grimm's favor</a>, pointing to the Obama Administration guidance. The Gloucester County School Board appealed the decision and the case is now set to be heard by the Supreme Court in March.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/shark-tank-daymond-john-investing-entrepreneurs-lessons-2017-2">Here's what Daymond John has learned from 8 years of investing on Shark Tank</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="syd2JlOTE69DbgkQ5gobCx5x9cz8RlsI" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'syd2JlOTE69DbgkQ5gobCx5x9cz8RlsI',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Two members of Trump's cabinet reportedly sparred over bathroom protections for transgender students

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/587e3aabee14b62a008b8766-2400" alt="Betsy DeVos" data-mce-source="Mike Segar/Reuters" data-mce-caption="Betsy DeVos" data-link="http://pictures.reuters.com/archive/USA-TRUMP--RC17F38E04A0.html" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://pictures.reuters.com/archive/USA-TRUMP--RC17F38E04A0.html">Mike Segar/Reuters</a></span></p><p class="caption">The Senate confirmation hearing for billionaire Republican donor Betsy DeVos kicks off on Tuesday, and is expected to include fierce questioning from Senate Democrats.</p></div><p></p></div></div>The Senate confirmation hearing for billionaire Republican donor Betsy DeVos kicks off on Tuesday, and is expected to include fierce questioning from Senate Democrats.</p><p>Postponed once amid concerns of an unfinished ethics review and incomplete financial disclosures, DeVos will likely face tough questions about her prior donations to sitting Republican senators and super PACs, and her <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/betsy-devos/story?id=43745520">previous comments that she expects a return on investments her family has provided in the form of political contributions. </a></p><p>DeVos, an advocate for alternatives to traditional public schooling, championed charter school and school voucher initiatives in her home state of Michigan, where she <span>served as chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party. She's expected to </span>receive questioning on her vision for leadership of The Department of <keyword id="6355445" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Education">Education</keyword> (ED).</p><p>The secretary of education, as the head of the ED, advises and executes legislation over education policy at both the K-12 and post-secondary level.</p><p>Created in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter, the ED is the smallest cabinet-level department. Its main functions include administering federal assistance to schools and enforcing federal education laws. The secretary of education is fifteenth in line for succession to the presidency.</p><p>It also provides funding to local school districts. The Title I program, for example, provides federal funding to schools with large numbers of low-income students.</p><p>This is likely to be a place where DeVos will receive some questioning as Trump pledged to invest $20 billion in school choice when president. </p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-pledges-20-billion-to-school-choice-education-agenda-2016-9">Trump's plan, unveiled in September</a>, would <span>reprioritize existing federal dollars to establish a school voucher grant program to allow children to attend whatever school they wanted. Trump argued that the voucher system would not only help impoverished children enroll at quality schools, but a free market would also improve the entire system. </span></p><p>Senators are expected to ask if this will harm the Title I program and school systems in need of funding.</p><p>The ED, through its sub-agency the Office for Civil Rights, also ensures that discrimination does not occur in schools based on race, gender, sexual orientation, and other characteristics.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/583de219ba6eb604688b5a15-638/undefined" alt="John B. King Jr., who has been appointed by U.S. President Barack Obama to succeed U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington October 2, 2015.      REUTERS/Joshua Roberts" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="King, who has been appointed by U.S. President Barack Obama to succeed U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington" /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Current secretary of education John B. King.</p></div><p></p></div></div>For example, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal discrimination <a href="http://acluva.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/141218-dojcomplaintltrGRIMM.pdf">complaint</a> with the Department of Education on behalf of Gavin Grimm in 2016. Grimm, a transgender student, claims he was discriminated against by his school district, which will not allow him to use the bathroom that corresponds with his gender identity.</p><p>Some civil rights groups have worried what DeVos' prior donations to conservative groups, including a Christian organization called Focus on the Family, mean for LGBT and other minority students, <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-betsy-devos-confirmation-hearing-education-secretary-20170117-story.html">The Chicago Tribune reported.</a> She will likely receive questions over her conservative activism and what it means for the children in school systems she will oversee.</p><p>Lastly, one of the largest, and certainly the most costly, areas of responsibility for the ED is the administering of federal student aid. The Pell Grant program - student aid that does not need to be repaid - was the largest area of spending for the department for 2016 with <a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2016/01/14/federal-education-funding-where-does-the-money-go">about $22.5 billion spent.</a></p><p>In Michigan DeVos did not wade into issues of higher education, and she is the first choice for secretary of education without any substantial higher education experience.</p><p>This is an opportunity for senators to get DeVos on the record on where she stands on a number of higher education issues. </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/qantas-flight-32-miraculous-landing-focus-captain-richard-de-crespigny-2016-12">This incredible story of the most miraculous airplane landing can teach you a great deal about focus</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="12OG41NTE6-WGceFKkrcSEDfIA2Mnl58" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', '12OG41NTE6-WGceFKkrcSEDfIA2Mnl58',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Trump's secretary of education pick is expected to be grilled in Senate confirmation hearing - here's what she'll likely face

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/583daf0fe02ba71e008b6a3d-2356/ap16324759529926.jpg" alt="President-elect Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos shake hands at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster clubhouse in Bedminster, N.J., Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016." data-mce-source="AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster" data-mce-caption="President-elect Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos shake hands at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster clubhouse in Bedminster, N.J., Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016." data-link="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Trump/047c66a50a194c1b931d3e642f1337d5/10/0" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Trump/047c66a50a194c1b931d3e642f1337d5/10/0">AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster</a></span></p><p class="caption">President-elect Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos shake hands at Trump National Golf Club.</p></div><p></p></div></div>During his campaign, President-elect Trump repeatedly hit out at the <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/697613947655086080">role of federal government in education</a>, arguing instead for increased local control of schools, and hinting that the Department of <keyword id="6355445" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Education">Education</keyword> (ED) should be abolished.</p><p>In his book "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015ND2B0K/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&amp;btkr=1">Great Again: How to Fix Our Crippled America</a>," Trump writes: <span>"A lot of people believe the Department of Education should just be eliminated. Get rid of it. If we don't eliminate it completely, we certainly need to cut its power and reach." </span></p><p>Last week, Trump tapped Betsy DeVos for secretary of education, signaling that the department will likely remain, though the cabinet-level position will be steered by an advocate for alternatives to traditional public schooling.</p><p>The secretary of education, as the head of the ED, advises and executes legislation over education policy at both the K-12 and post-secondary level.</p><p>Created in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter, the ED is the smallest cabinet-level department. Its main functions include administering federal assistance to schools and enforcing federal education laws. The secretary of education is fifteenth in line for succession to the presidency.</p><p>The department collects data and does research on student outcomes and success, providing national figures which allow comparison between states.</p><p>It also provides funding to local school districts. The Title I program, for example, provides federal funding to schools with large numbers of low-income students.</p><p>The ED, through its sub-agency the Office for Civil Rights, also ensures that discrimination does not occur in schools based on race, gender, sexual orientation, and other characteristics.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/583de219ba6eb604688b5a15-638/undefined" alt="John B. King Jr., who has been appointed by U.S. President Barack Obama to succeed U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington October 2, 2015.      REUTERS/Joshua Roberts" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="King, who has been appointed by U.S. President Barack Obama to succeed U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington" /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Current secretary of education John B. King.</p></div><p></p></div></div>For example, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal discrimination <a href="http://acluva.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/141218-dojcomplaintltrGRIMM.pdf">complaint</a> with the Department of Education on behalf of Gavin Grimm. Grimm, a transgender student, claims he was discriminated against by his school district who will not allow him to use the bathroom that corresponds with his gender identity.</p><p>At the collegiate level, too, the ED handles issues of discrimination. Last year, a alliance of Asian American groups filed a federal complaint with the ED against Harvard University. The groups claim that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/michael-wang-says-ivy-league-discriminates-against-asians-2015-5">Harvard and other Ivy League schools use racial quotas</a> that discriminate against Asians in the admissions process.</p><p>The Office for Civil Rights is also responsible for investigating Title IX - the federal law that prohibits gender discrimination - violations. <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2861781-List-of-195-Higher-Ed-Institutions-Under-Title.html">The ED currently has more than 200 open investigations</a> into sexual assaults on college campuses.</p><p>Lastly, one of the largest, and certainly the most costly, areas of responsibility for the ED is the administering of federal student aid. The Pell Grant program - student aid that does not need to be repaid - was the largest area of spending for the department for 2016 with <a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2016/01/14/federal-education-funding-where-does-the-money-go">about $22.5 billion spent.</a></p><p>In her home state of Michigan, DeVos has championed charter school and school voucher initiatives, but has not waded into any issues of higher education. She is the first choice for secretary of education without any substantial higher education experience.</p><p>While it is possible to predict some of the primary and secondary schooling issues that DeVos will support in her role, it is less apparent the direction she will take in higher education.</p><p>"I have no idea where DeVos stands on early childhood or higher education issues, and the latter, especially, is gigantic, with Washington furnishing tens-of-billions of dollars in student loans, among other higher ed matters," Neal McCluskey, at the libertarian think tank the Cato Institute, <a href="https://www.cato.org/blog/its-devos-ed-boss-actually-lets-hope-not">wrote in a blog post.</a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/successful-people-eat-breakfast-lebron-james-2016-11">Here's what 11 successful people eat for breakfast</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="ppZW5xNzE6PKFDBvY_XLeUyw1i98uxmD" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'ppZW5xNzE6PKFDBvY_XLeUyw1i98uxmD',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Trump once called for the Department of Education to be eliminated - here's what the federal agency actually does

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/58837191ee14b68f7b8b6366-1511/undefined" alt="betsy devos education secretary hearing nominee" data-mce-source="Yuri Gripas/Reuters" data-mce-caption="Betsy DeVos testifies before the Senate Health, Education and Labor Committee confirmation hearing to be next Secretary of Education on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 17, 2017." /><p class="source"><span>Yuri Gripas/Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Betsy DeVos testifies before the Senate Health, <keyword id="6355445" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Education">Education</keyword> and Labor Committee confirmation hearing to be next Secretary of Education on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 17, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div>The Senate confirmed Betsy DeVos as the secretary of education on Tuesday in historic fashion, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/betsy-devos-approved-nomination-secretary-of-education-2017-2">requiring Vice President Mike Pence to cast the tiebreaking vote.</a></p><p>The Senate split 50-50, with every Democratic member and Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voting to oppose DeVos. Pence's vote was the first time in US history that a vice president has had to cast a tiebreaker for a Cabinet nominee.</p><p><span>The vote ended an uncharacteristically contentious confirmation process for a secretary of education. Typically, the position is confirmed without major opposition. </span></p><p><span>So what exactly does the secretary of education do?</span></p><p>Education in the US is largely under state and local control and the federal government's role is deeply limited in scope.</p><p>As the head of the US Department of Education (ED), the secretary advises and executes legislation over education policy at both the K-12 and post-secondary level.</p><p>"The position of secretary of education is, more than anything, an opportunity to be a bully pulpit to express the views of the president," <a href="https://www.gse.harvard.edu/faculty/paul-reville">Paul Reville, a professor at Harvard's Graduate School of Education</a><span>, </span>told Business Insider. "The role is highly constrained"</p><p>Created in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter, the ED is the smallest cabinet-level department. Its main functions include administering federal assistance to schools and enforcing federal education laws. The secretary of education is fifteenth in line for succession to the presidency.</p><p>Before its inception as independent agency, the ED existed under the scope of what is now known as the Department of Health and Human Services (formerly the <span>Department of Health, Education, and Welfare). </span></p><p><span>A changing political and social environment after the Second World War led to the creation of the ED, as interest grew to invest in the American educational system. The Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik, for example, threw the US on its heels, and started a race to close the perceived gap in technological capabilities between the USSR and US.</span></p><p>Today, the department collects data and does research on student outcomes and success, providing national figures which allow comparison between states.</p><p>While school districts get most of their funding from local taxes, federal agencies including the ED contribute about <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/fed/role.html">8%</a> to district budgets. The ED's Title I program, for example, provides federal funding to schools with large numbers of low-income students.</p><p>The ED, through its sub-agency the Office for Civil Rights, also ensures that discrimination does not occur in schools based on race, gender, sexual orientation, and other characteristics.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/560ee0b0bd86ef1d008bed36-681/education-secretary-duncan-steps-down-obama-picks-deputy-to-replace-him.jpg" alt="U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan participates in an open meeting of the President's Advisory Council on Financial Capability for Young Americans at the Treasury Department in Washington, October 2, 2014. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="U.S. Secretary of Education Duncan participates in an open meeting of the President's Advisory Council on Financial Capability for Young Americans in Washington" /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.</p></div><p></p></div></div>For example, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal discrimination <a href="http://acluva.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/141218-dojcomplaintltrGRIMM.pdf">complaint</a> with the Department of Education on behalf of Gavin Grimm. Grimm, a transgender student, claims he was discriminated against by his school district who will not allow him to use the bathroom that corresponds with his gender identity.</p><p>At the collegiate level, too, the ED handles issues of discrimination. Last year, a alliance of Asian American groups filed a federal complaint with the ED against Harvard University. The groups claim that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/michael-wang-says-ivy-league-discriminates-against-asians-2015-5">Harvard and other Ivy League schools use racial quotas</a> that discriminate against Asians in the admissions process.</p><p>The Office for Civil Rights is also responsible for investigating Title IX - the federal law that prohibits gender discrimination - violations. <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2861781-List-of-195-Higher-Ed-Institutions-Under-Title.html">The ED currently has more than 200 open investigations</a> into sexual assaults on college campuses.</p><p>Lastly, one of the largest, and certainly the most costly, areas of responsibility for the ED is the administering of federal student aid. The Pell Grant program - student aid that does not need to be repaid - was the largest area of spending for the department for 2016 with <a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2016/01/14/federal-education-funding-where-does-the-money-go">about $22.5 billion spent.</a></p><p>In her home state of Michigan, DeVos has championed charter school and school voucher initiatives, but has not waded into any issues of higher education. She is the first choice for secretary of education without any substantial higher education experience.</p><p>While it is possible to predict some of the primary and secondary schooling issues that DeVos will support in her role, it is less apparent the direction she will take in higher education.</p><p><span>During a confirmation hearing where DeVos was </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/betsy-devos-trump-education-secretary-contentious-hearing-2017-1">grilled on several issues,</a>  she <span>gave vague answers or said she was currently unable to provide a response. </span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nutritionist-explains-which-foods-make-skin-look-healthier-2017-1">A nutritionist explains which foods make your skin look healthier</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="VkOGI3OTE6JPVrZkUKdl1WinQtq0BTHv" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'VkOGI3OTE6JPVrZkUKdl1WinQtq0BTHv',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Betsy DeVos was just confirmed as education secretary - here's what she will control

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/589b5f416e09a8f2208b5d39-2210/ap872544503234.jpg" alt="Betsy DeVos, United States Secretary of Education, arrives to be sworn in by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, not pictured, in the Vice President's Ceremonial Office in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017. DeVos squeaked through a history-making Senate confirmation vote to become U.S. education secretary, as Vice President Mike Pence broke a 50-50 tie and Republicans staved off last-minute defections that would have killed her nomination." data-mce-source="Andrew Harrer / Pool via CNP /MediaPunch/IPX" data-link="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/PGroup-Andrew-Harrer-MediaPunch-IPx-A-ENT-IPX-V-/dbaccaad823540ceb1b5a34762b7eeac/10/0" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/PGroup-Andrew-Harrer-MediaPunch-IPx-A-ENT-IPX-V-/dbaccaad823540ceb1b5a34762b7eeac/10/0">Andrew Harrer / Pool via CNP /MediaPunch/IPX</a></span></p><p class="caption">What some experts predict Betsy DeVos will do as secretary of <keyword id="6355445" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Education">education</keyword>.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Following one of the most contentious confirmation processes for secretary of education the US has ever seen, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/betsy-devos-approved-nomination-secretary-of-education-2017-2">Betsy DeVos was confirmed on Tuesday by the slimmest of possible margins</a> - 51-50 - with Vice President Mike Pence casting the deciding affirmative vote.</p><p>The nomination of DeVos, a billionaire GOP donor from Michigan, elicited strong public outrage, spurring thousands of calls from constituents to their senators. Protests in opposition to her nomination cropped up around the US, and Democratic lawmakers on Monday <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/betsy-devos-education-secretary-comfirmation-vote-2017-2">held a marathon late-night session to oppose DeVos</a>.</p><p>Yet, the secretary of education's power is limited. Many areas of education in the US are largely under state and local control. "The position of secretary of education is, more than anything, an opportunity to be a bully pulpit to express the views of the president," <a href="https://www.gse.harvard.edu/faculty/paul-reville">Paul Reville</a>, a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, told Business Insider. "The role is highly constrained."</p><p>Despite the constraints of the position, some experts say they worry about the harm DeVos may inflict on the school system in her role.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/589b71496e09a826008b6077-911/undefined" alt="Betsy DeVos" data-mce-source="Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Betsy DeVos." /><p class="source"><span>Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Betsy DeVos during her January confirmation hearing.</p></div><p></p></div></div>"DeVos' confirmation raises concerns about maintaining the push and the presence of equity," <a href="https://www.gse.harvard.edu/faculty/laura-schifter">Laura Schifter</a>, a lecturer on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, told Business Insider.</p><p>"I think the concern is the absence of the federal involvement in education on important issues like enforcing civil rights laws," she said.</p><p>The department, through its Office for Civil Rights, handles matters related to discrimination in schools and colleges on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, and other characteristics.</p><p>The American Civil Liberties Union filed a <a href="https://acluva.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/141218-dojcomplaintltrGRIMM.pdf">complaint</a> with the Department of Education in 2014 on behalf of Gavin Grimm, a transgender student who said he was discriminated against by his school district because it did not let him use the bathroom that corresponded with his gender identity.</p><p>The Department of Education, along with the Justice Department, <a href="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-departments-education-and-justice-release-joint-guidance-help-schools-ensure-civil-rights-transgender-students">later issued guidance on the issue</a>, directing schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity.</p><p>Schifter predicts there will be a pulling back from using the protective arm of the ED with DeVos as secretary.</p><p>Other experts worry about deleterious effects on public education with DeVos at the helm.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/589b71d66e09a87b008b603f-2400/undefined" alt="Donald Trump and Betsy Devos" data-mce-source="Mike Segar" data-mce-caption="Donald Trump and Betsy Devos" /><p class="source"><span>Mike Segar</span></p><p class="caption">Donald Trump and Betsy Devos.</p></div><p></p></div></div>"She's endorsing a school choice program unlike anything we've ever seen," <a href="http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/faculty/David_Kirkland">David Kirkland</a>, an associate professor with NYU Steinhardt, told Business Insider. "She's overseen Michigan's proliferation of unregulated charter schools as well as the siphoning of public funds - chiefly Title I funds - from public education into private accounts. reinforcing stubborn patterns of school segregation but also school failure," he said.</p><p>DeVos can't do this alone, as individual states have autonomy in making decisions about their school systems in this way. But Kirkland argued that the federal government still sets the tone and messaging for education policy in the US, and he cited adoption of the Common Core under President Obama as an example.</p><p>The Common Core - a controversial set of nationwide standards - was adopted by states, rather than mandated by the federal government, but they were certainly backed and incentivized by the Obama administration.</p><p>"The federal government plays a tremendous role in creating the environment for educational success and failure throughout the country," Kirkland said.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sex-schedule-relationships-marriage-bat-sheva-marcus-2017-1">How a 'sex schedule' could save your relationship</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="c4MnAydTpRxoF1S9MlVqsJAIUtsQiH5b" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'c4MnAydTpRxoF1S9MlVqsJAIUtsQiH5b',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

You Searched For "gavin grimm" and got 11 results

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You Searched For "gavin grimm" and got 11 results

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