Transgender policy OK’d by schoolsPITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Public Schools have enacted a nondiscrimination policy that outlines the rights, protections and support systems schools must provide for transgender students.The city’s school board unanimously approved the district policy on Wednesday.“We’re moving forward on the right side of law and history,” said board member Moira Kaleida, who urged the district to consider the guidelines last fall after principals and legal experts told her of the need for them. She said the district received about 400 e-mails in favor of the policy and 20 against it.The guidelines allow students to use bathrooms and participate in physical education classes and intramural sports that align with their gender identity. It also lets students be addressed by their preferred name and gender pronoun.Under the policy, students may request alternative accommodations, including a private office restroom, curtain partition or a separate changing space if they feel uncomfortable. Each school will also form teams that will receive specialized training to serve as a “visible resource” for students who have questions.“Under no circumstance should any student be required to use sex-segregated faculties that are inconsistent with their gender identity,” according to the policy.

Boy slammed by mother’s fiance diesPITTSBURGH — Authorities say an 8-year-old Pennsylvania boy has died after his mother’s fiance grabbed him for not cleaning his room and slammed him on the floor.Allegheny County police say Orlando Williams, of North Braddock, had been drinking before he tripped over a laundry basket in the boy’s room and angrily tried to slam him onto the edge of his bed Sunday night. Police say he missed, and the boy fell on the floor.Williams is jailed on charges including aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child.