Bucks County school district approves separate bathrooms for transgender, non-binary students

After a heated meeting with the community on Monday night, the board of the Pennridge School District has voted to approve a policy that will provide students -- no matter their gender identity -- with bathrooms that can accommodate them.

With a vote of 5-to-4, the board ruled to reverse a policy that required students to use the bathroom of their biological sex.

And, starting in August, the school district will provide separate bathrooms for students and faculty use depending on gender identity.

The bathrooms will be labeled as: faculty use, bathrooms for biological males, bathrooms for biological females, bathrooms for those who identify as male as well as bathrooms for those who identify as female.

There will also be single use bathrooms that can be used by students no matter how they identify.

In a meeting on Monday night, a graduate of the district, who said they identify as non-binary, argued the change was needed to permit others like them from being harassed at school.

"I'm worried about being harassed. Like, I just want to use the bathroom," they said. "I don't want people to pay attention to me, but, I have to worry about that."

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Yet, the change was met with vitriol from some in attendance.

"We don't like this. It looks like you're playing politics with our kids," said a father of a student in the district.

One mother of a student in the district, who spoke to the board, said the district was taking parenting decisions away from parents.

"With this policy, you're now trying to dictate how you are going to act as parents to our children against our will," she said. "You are not medical or mental health professionals. You are also not complying with the majority desires of parents in the community who have given you ample reasons to keep the current policy."

The move comes after President Joe Biden's administration overhauled Title 9 in April which found the previous bathroom policy to be considered discriminatory and a violation of Title 9.

Those new regulations go into effect Aug. 1.