Parents in St. Johns voiced concerns about the district's bathroom policy during a packed school board meeting Monday night, sparking debate over student safety and LGBTQ+ rights.
- Nearly 20 St. Johns parents and neighbors spoke at Monday's school board meeting about the middle school's bathroom policy
- Current district policy allows students to use bathrooms matching their gender identity under Elliott-Larson Act
- The superintendent urges parents to contact him directly with future issues
WATCH: St. Johns parents debate school bathroom policy
Nearly 20 neighbors spoke during public comment at the meeting, where the district's bathroom policy became the hot topic.
"This is my daughter, this is my son. She has a different anatomy than him. Should she be exposed to a prepubescent boy in the bathroom in the locker room? Should he be exposed to her? I do not think that is right," parent Jennifer Barks said during public comment.
Superintendent Anthony Berthiaume clarified the district's current policy during the meeting.
"Currently under Elliott-Larson Act along with the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, right now students are able to use the bathrooms that they identify with," Berthiaume said.
The meeting also included voices supporting the district's existing policy.
"This isn't about bathrooms. It's about whether we believe all students, even those who are LGBTQ, deserve dignity and safety in their learning environment," Andrea Ryan from SJ Call-In Coalition said during public comment.
Berthiaume emphasized that student safety remains the district's top priority and outlined available accommodations.
"We try to work with our students and families to ask them, ask our students, what is the safest place for them to use the restroom? And we always talk about, there's single use bathrooms throughout our secondary schools, along with our elementary as well," Berthiaume said.
The superintendent told me he didn't know this would be a top issue during public comment, noting that parents had not previously contacted him with recent bathroom policy concerns. He encouraged parents and community members to reach out to him or school principals with any future concerns.
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