Female Student to Dripping Springs ISD: “I’m Uncomfortable with a Boy in Girls’ Bathroom”
Last night, parents in Dripping Springs Independent School District (ISD) packed the room, and even filled an overflow room, for a Public Forum at the School Board Meeting to express their concerns after local parents discovered that Dripping Springs ISD has a new policy and practice of allowing male students to go into girls’ bathrooms. This bathroom issue was so overwhelming, that the school board decided to defer their normal order of business and instead go right into the testimony by the dozens of concerned parents that lasted over two hours.
Many of those parents who testified were troubled because they were not notified of this school district policy change by the administration. They also strongly voiced their concern for the privacy and safety of all students and expressed their opposition to boys being allowed in girls bathrooms at all grade levels, K-12. According to testimony at the public forum, last year the accommodation being used by Dripping Springs ISD was access to a private single use bathroom, an accommodation and solution that appeared to have wide support and did not result in controversy. Watch testimony from Texas Values below:
There are reports that the new policy of allowing boys into girls bathrooms is being applied in all grade levels, K-12, in Dripping Springs I.S.D.
State Senator Donna Campbell, M.D. issued this statement:
“Public school bathrooms and locker rooms should be safe spaces – not social experiments that leave children vulnerable without privacy or dignity. I encourage Dripping Springs ISD to support bathroom and locker room policies that reflect common sense, take every student’s safety into account, and give full consideration to the concerns of parents in the most transparent manner possible. Anything less is a disruption to the learning process and fails to serve the education needs of Texans.”
State Representative Jason Isaac released this statement: “I learned about it late last week and am still studying the issue. However, I don’t think any boys, no matter their age, should be using girls’ restrooms and vice versa.”
Jonathan Saenz, attorney and president of Texas Values stated:
“Tonight, a young girl said it best- ‘I feel uncomfortable with a boy in the girls’ bathroom.’ The Dripping Springs I.S.D. School Board has now heard from their community and cannot deny the fact that their reckless new policy to allow boys into girls’ bathrooms is an attack on parental rights and ignores the privacy and safety concerns for all children. Our team that testified also made it clear that the School Board cannot hide behind the Obama administration’s unlawful Title IX interpretation on bathrooms as a Texas federal judge has ruled that such view is unenforceable. Drippings Springs ISD needs to stop hiding information from parents and they need to stop playing politics with the privacy and safety of children. We urge the School Board to revoke this dangerous policy immediately for the sake of privacy and safety for all students.”
About Texas Values
Texas Values is a nonprofit organization dedicated to standing for faith, family, and freedom in Texas. More information is available at txvalues.org.