New federal protections for transgender students at U.S. schools and colleges launch this week, but not everywhere. Most Republican-led states challenged the rule from President Joe Biden's administration, which is to take effect Thursday. In response, judges have blocked enforcement in 21 states plus hundreds of individual schools and colleges. Some states already have policies that protect transgender students. But those policies may not exactly match components of the federal regulation, including requirements for dealing with sexual misconduct complaints. It could take more court action to sort out exactly what schools must do this year.
