Kansas school board votes to ban transgender students from certain bathrooms
By Greg Payne
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GARDNER, Kansas (KCTV) — A Johnson County school district has voted in favor of a transgender policy that bans transgender students from using certain bathrooms.
After a 5-2 vote, the Gardner-Edgerton school board adopted a new transgender policy.
The policy states students will only be able to participate in sports corresponding with their sex at birth and students will only be able to use locker rooms and bathrooms corresponding to their sex at birth as well.
Before the decision was made a number of students and parents spoke before the board both for and against the policy and spending money on adding unisex bathrooms.
“This policy feels unnecessary and has already made students distrust the school board, administrators, counselors and several teachers. The safety of LGBTQ students has felt at school will be eradicated and our level of trust will never be the same,” says student Hannah Binkley.
“Our district doesn’t have enough money laying around for gender-neutral bathrooms. Our capital school district funds should be for emergency purposes only and this is not one of them. Please listen to your staff, please listen to your teachers, please listen to the parents of this district. Our kids need help not another place to pee,” says parent Brenda Thompson.
The board also voted on possibly remodeling certain restrooms to accommodate the policy change.
That did not pass but it will appear on the agenda again in a future board meeting.
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