Chicago: Students can access bathrooms by 'gender identity'

CHICAGO (AP) — The nation's third-largest school district has outlined new rules allowing students access to bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their gender identity.

Chicago Public Schools released the rules Tuesday, saying they'll ensure that transgender students and those "questioning their gender identity" won't be denied access to the same education opportunities as their peers, including overnight field trips.

The guidelines say additional accommodations will be assessed on an individual basis.

The rules come in the wake of a controversial North Carolina law that requires transgender people to use bathrooms in state government buildings and public schools that correspond to the gender on their birth certificates.

Last year a suburban Chicago school district reached an agreement with federal officials over a transgender student's use of a girls' locker room.

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The Gayly - 5/3/2016 @ 11:19 a.m. CDT