Pennsylvania High School Students Protest Trans Bathroom Policy
Students from the Perkiomen Valley School District in Pennsylvania have organized a walkout in protest of the school’s refusal to change its bathroom policy for trans-identifying students.
Last Week, the Perkiomen Valley School Board failed to pass Policy 720, a proposal that would have required students to use the bathroom that corresponds to their biological sex rather than their so-called “gender identity.”
The proposal for Policy 720 was initiated after a father’s social media post claimed that his daughter had encountered an individual who may have been a boy in the women’s restroom at school. In response, the school informed the female student that she had the option to use a single-use restroom if she felt uncomfortable.
Several students who participated in the walkout shared their concerns with Fox News, explaining that they were upset about the prospect of biological males using women’s restrooms.
“Kids were upset. Girls… we wanted to protect them. They were upset. They didn’t want men in their bathroom,” John Ott, the organizer of the walkout, told Fox News.
“This is about protecting our children and our privacy and boys and girls. It’s simple biology,” added Ott’s mother, Stephanie.
The school district’s superintendent, Barbara Russell, defended the practice of allowing transgender individuals to use the bathroom of their choice, citing an anti-discrimination policy that classifies gender identity as a “protected class.”
However, the school board president, who advocated for Policy 720, argued for the common-sense notion of separating bathrooms based on biological sex. He questioned the appropriateness of allowing students to access any bathroom they choose solely based on how they identify.
“Do we think it’s accurate and fair that students should have access to any bathroom they want depending on how they identify? Do we think that’s appropriate? It’s my personal opinion. I don’t,” said School Board President Jason Saylor.
