The Wareham school district has decided to add its voice to the support of transgender rights.

At a School Committee meeting Wednesday night, the committee voted unanimously to implement a policy that disallows discrimination based on a student’s gender identity. The state adopted a law called “An Act Relative to Gender Identity” in 2012.

Individuals of transgender experience are people who are not what their “biological” sex was at birth.

“We saw it firsthand this year,” said high school Principal Scott Palladino, without going into further detail, in a later interview. “We want to protect students here and in the future. … I am excited the policy was approved.”

The new policy specifically ensures that staff will discuss the student’s gender identity with the student, before talking with parents. It also said that students are to be allowed to participate in gender-segregated sports “in a manner consistent with their gender identity”; and that, after discussion about specifics with the principal, they be given access to changing facilities, locker rooms, and restrooms “that [correspond] to the student’s gender identity.”

Though Massachusetts already has a non-discrimination law, “the Massachusetts general lawbook [on education] is about half an inch thick,” Palladino said, so administrative officials felt the need to emphasize the law by adding a new policy to the schools’ handbooks.

“The policy has some teeth, and it is already on the website,” Palladino said. “No matter what, the kids need to feel safe and comfortable.”

Superintendent Kimberly Shaver-Hood agreed, saying that the policy is meant to ensure all students receive “fair and equal treatment.”

“Kids have a right to come to a place where they feel safe and protected, and this is a piece of policy that we certainly need,” Shaver-Hood said, echoing Palladino’s sentiments. “We have not had any issues with students being mistreated, to my knowledge, but we want to be proactive in protecting our students.”

Massachusetts is one of 18 states that has non-discrimination laws against people of transgender experience. Washington, District of Columbia, also has such laws.

The statistics would argue that such laws are necessary.

A survey released in 2011 showed that 78 percent of transgender students were harassed or assaulted for being transgender.

The study, released by the National Center for Transgender Equality, also showed that 26 percent of individuals of transgender experience lost their jobs due to bias; 50 percent were harassed on the job, and 20 percent were evicted or denied housing.

Furthermore, “the transphobia that drives the discrimination is exacerbated when the trans person is a person of color and also faces compounding racism,” the survey said.

The non-discrimination laws have faced a backlash in other states, in a move that doesn’t seem to be slowing. As of a special rush session Wednesday night, the Associated Press said, North Carolina has joined these states, passing a law that mandates that transgender individuals in North Carolina may only use the bathrooms that correspond to the sex listed on their birth certificates.

According to a report released in late February by human rights organization Human Rights Campaign, there have been 44 anti-transgender bills introduced in 16 states around the U.S., 23 of which are aimed at children. This is out of 175 total pieces of legislation.

The report also states that this number is double the amount of anti-transgender legislation as was introduced in all of 2015. In 2015, there were 21 anti-transgender bills proposed, out of 125 pieces of legislation.

Legislators who have introduced these bills argue that the reason for the anti-transgender legislation is to keep women and children safe, for fear of assault in restrooms and changing areas. This same argument was used Wednesday night in North Carolina.

But the reports of violence would seem to disagree with legislators’ arguments. To date, there have been no reported cases of violence against non-transgender people by transgender people.

The reverse, however, is not true. A National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs 2009 study found that 50 percent of victims who died in violence against the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community were transgender women.

The other 50 percent were male, a significant percentage of whom did not conform to their gender.

The study also found that 17 percent of all reported violent hate crimes against the LGBTQ community were against transgender women.

There was no discussion about the policy at the meeting.