Clay students must use ‘birthsex’ restrooms

BY DAN HILDEBRAN

ClayCivic.com Publisher

Clay County School Board members adopted a policy during its June 1 meeting requiring students to use restrooms, locker rooms, and dressing rooms according to each student’s biological sex.

“An individual student’s ‘biological sex’ is defined as the sex assigned to that student at birth, hereinafter, ‘birthsex’,” the policy reads.

The new policy adds that any student or parent may ask for an exception to the rule and that any student may use any of the district’s gender-neutral facilities.

Board member Mary Bolla questioned the need for the new policy, noting that Superintendent David Broskie told her that in his 34 years in public education, he had never heard of a problem or issue relating to a bathroom.

She also said the policy reflects the district’s current general practices and questioned the need to codify the procedures, particularly imposing penalties on violators.

“We are punishing some of our most vulnerable students,” she said. “These vulnerable students have gone through a lot in their lives. They’ve not had the support that a lot of our daughters and sons have had, and it concerns me.”

Board member Erin Skipper called the new policy a commonsense rule that protects students, regardless of their gender identity.

She added that the need for the new policy is in response to the country’s changing culture.

“Most teachers will say this was not a major cultural issue several years ago,” she told Bolla. “I know from a medical perspective this was classified differently.”

Board member Michele Hanson said she and her colleagues had no choice but to approve the policy because of a state law passed by lawmakers earlier this year.