Washington: The parents of eight transgender children from across the country have requested a meeting with US President Donald Trump and key administration officials to discuss the effect of their decision to withdraw federal guidance explaining what the nation's public schools must do to protect transgender students.

"We are heartbroken and scared about what this means," the parents said on Friday in a letter to Mr Trump, Attorney-General Jeff Sessions and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. "This action exposes transgender students to harassment and discrimination in their own classrooms, places they should feel safe and able to learn."

A White House spokesman could not immediately say whether Mr Trump had seen the letter, but he said the President has made clear that he's open to meeting with a variety of people to improve Americans' lives. An Education Department spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

The letter was signed by parents from Texas, Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Maine and Washington, DC. They are members of the Human Rights Campaign's Parents for Transgender Equality Council, and many of them have become leading voices in the effort to raise awareness about and advocate for the needs of transgender people.