A statement issued Tuesday by the Kansas State Board of Education represents a common sense approach to accommodating transgender students in Kansas.

The board action takes this issue out of the political arena and affirms the ability of local school districts to deal with these students on an individual level rather than trying to enforce a one-size-fits-all policy. Local school officials around the state already are handling these issues and their efforts aren’t aided by national guidelines — no matter how well-intentioned.

The statement unanimously approved by the board reads, “In Kansas, like many other states, our schools have been addressing transgender student needs with sensitivity and success for many years. Just as every child is unique, so too is every school community. With that understanding, we are firm in our belief that the decisions about the care, safety and well-being of all students are best made by the local school district based on the needs and desires of the students, parents and communities they serve.”

Congratulations to the state board for taking the time to confer with local school officials rather than simply issue a knee-jerk rejection of the Obama administration’s guidelines that said students should be able to use facilities and participate in activities that correspond to their gender identity. The guidelines were a response to a North Carolina law that required students to use restrooms and changing facilities that correspond to the gender listed on their birth certificates.

The dispute over the North Carolina law dragged this issue into the political arena where defenders of the law used scare tactics to raise unwarranted fears about transgender individuals. The statement by the Kansas board brought the issue back to a local, individual level that satisfied board members who wanted to head off an infringement of local control of schools, as well as those who wanted to protect the rights and interests of transgender students.

The welfare of the students, of course, should be the objective — as local districts already know. Just this week, the Lawrence school board received a report from a task force charged with improving the school experience for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. The report called for some changes in facilities as well as additional training to help teachers and staff members meet the needs of LGBT students.

Transgender issues currently are in the national spotlight, but school districts in Kansas and elsewhere have been addressing those issues on an individual level for years. The state board took the right approach by letting the districts continue to do their job in a way that supports individual students rather than broader political agendas.