A school district in southeast Michigan is under federal investigation for possible discrimination against transgender students, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Bedford Public Schools, about 10 miles north of Toledo in Monroe County, was placed under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights in December, the department said. A spokesperson would not give specifics on the investigation.

As of now, it's the only school district in the state under investigation for allegedly violating the rights of transgender students under Title IX, the federal civil rights law that protects students from sex discrimination in K-12 districts that receive federal funding.

The investigation, opened in December, comes as Michigan educators and lawmakers debate proposed, voluntary guidance from the State Board of Education pertaining to gay and transgender students. The guidance, in part, is aimed at helping districts comply with Title IX.

Portions of the recommendations - including that students be allowed to use restrooms and locker rooms in accordance with their gender identity - have drawn fire from some Republican lawmakers.

Bedford Public Schools Superintendent Mark Kleinhans said his district is cooperating with federal officials, but also declined to discuss specifics of the investigation.

In general, Bedford has made attempts to come into compliance with Title IX, through staff training and other measures, Kleinhans said. The district, for instance, offers two gender neutral bathrooms at its high school.

Kleinhans declined to say how his district would handle a request from a transgender student who wants to use a group restroom or locker room that's in accordance with the student's gender identity, rather than his or her sex at birth.

However, he added: "We handle each case independently, and we try to do the best that we can to meet the needs of all of our students."

An online petition addressed to Kleinhans calls on the district to grant transgender students access to "the bathroom of their choice" and not confine them to a "private restroom/health room bathroom."

The author of the petition could not be reached for comment. It's unclear whether the petition is related to the issue under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.

The U.S. Department of Education has said Title IX extends to transgender students. The department found an Illinois school district in violation of Title IX for prohibiting a transgender student from accessing the girls' locker room.

In December, the district, about 30 miles northwest of Chicago in the city of Palatine, reached a settlement with the department, in which it agreed to provide the student with access to the girls' locker room. The student had requested access to private changing stations in the girls' locker room.

It remains to be seen how lawsuits citing Title IX in relation to bathroom access for transgender students will fare in the courts.

In October, a student in Virgina who was born female but now identifies as male filed an appeal in federal court against his school district for "enforcing a discriminatory policy that segregates transgender students from their peers and requires them to use 'alternative private' restroom facilities," according to the American Civil Liberties Union, which is a party in the lawsuit.

A Washington Post story, published in January, quoted an ACLU attorney as saying the case will be a "bellwether" that "people will look to" to "see where the courts are headed."

Districts across the state are wrestling with how to best serve transgender students, particularly when it comes to bathroom and locker room use, said Don Wotruba, executive director of the Michigan Association of School Boards.

"I think it's something still relatively new," he said. "I think it's something that districts, because they represent a broad community and they represent all kinds of parents ...it's a huge struggle for them."

Brian McVicar covers education for MLive. Email him at bmcvicar@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter