Many parents of students that attend Grass Lake schools are heated over a debate that's been going on since January. The debate is about whether a transgender student should be allowed to use the bathroom that aligns with the gender they identify with.
In 2016, a 3rd grade transgender student requested to use the boys bathroom, but many parents opposed it. The school ruled in December that they would follow the ruling made by the Cincinnati appeals court that allows transgender students to use the bathroom of the gender they identify with.
Many parents feel the transgender child should use a unisex bathroom. They believe this will prevent other children from being placed in an uncomfortable situation.
Grass Lake Schools says they've developed a procedure that will "meet the needs of all of the students in the District." They say this will provide all students with a safe educational environment, and give students adequate privacy in public bathrooms.
They will be installing bathroom stalls with lockable doors around urinals, beginning with the elementary school boys' bathrooms. Until those stalls are in place the transgender student has agreed to use the gender neutral bathroom at the elementary school.
