NBC NEWS The school board in Loudoun County, Virginia, voted Wednesday to adopt a hotly contested policy requiring teachers to address students by their preferred gender names and pronouns.

The policy, which was approved 7-2, also ensures access for transgender students to school facilities and programs. It also mandates access for students to restrooms and locker rooms that "correspond to their consistently asserted gender identity."

The policy abides by a state law passed last year that requires school boards adopt a policy protecting the rights of transgender students, according to a district statement.

The school system's "number one priority is to foster the success of all students and ensure they feel safe, secure, accepted and ready to learn at school," the district said. (To Read the complete article, Click Here.)