UW–Madison’s Mollie McQuillan, an assistant professor in the School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, recently shared insights on PBS Wisconsin regarding the Watertown Unified School District’s adoption of a more restrictive “Gender Support Plan” impacting transgender students.

The controversial policy, approved by the school board on Nov. 18, requires students to use bathrooms and participate in sports according to their gender assigned at birth. McQuillan, whose research focuses on educational equity and LGBTQ+ issues, raised concerns about the plan’s legal and social implications.
“I think that there’s a lot of confusion among school boards, and certainly among superintendents and principals and teachers, about what the law actually is and how they can support youth,” McQuillan explained.
She pointed to Title IX, a federal law designed to prevent sex-based discrimination, as a key factor in these discussions. “Two different U.S. Court of Appeals decisions, in 2017 and 2023, found that school policies restricting which bathroom a student can use are not enforceable,” McQuillan said, noting that the legal landscape could shift under the new presidential administration.
To hear more of McQuillan’s insights, view the full report on the PBS Wisconsin website.