How schools went from skirting the law to embracing it.
Between 2001 and 2009, as the Executive Director of civil rights and social justice organizations, I met with numerous principals and government officials in Arizona (and a few other states) about bullying and discrimination against Muslim students, to which I was repeatedly told that Muslims needed to develop a thicker skin in the current (post 9/11) environment, or that they were aware of the (accommodation and anti-discrimination) laws but would not follow the law unless they were sued.
In 2022, when it comes to LGBTQ+ student attacks, those same authority figures are blaming it on the need to follow state and federal laws (which are deliberately designed to harm LGBTQ+ students).
It all boils down to how much those in authority believe the system shields them from accountability if the same students their profession is designed to protect are harmed under their watch.
Despite laws prohibiting it, the absence of sanctions for failing to prevent or discourage harm to Muslim children was widespread in the early 2000s and continues to this day.
The lesson learned is that harming LGBTQ+ children in schools is even easier because the new laws allow or even require it.
Empathy was the first to depart, followed by the law.