Petition To Notify parents when changing policy about Privacy Rights in Locker Rooms

Feb 1, 2020 update- Brad Bezeau has said he will open up the 2nd girls locker room and give students a choice on where they would like to change. Their will be one locker room where anyone who identifies as a girl may use and one that only biological girls can use.

It has come to our attention that a building administrator in the Saline School District made a decision that conflicted with Saline’s current  practice, and allowed a biological male into a female locker room with out the parents or students knowledge and consent.   Previously the best practice followed was:  to allow any student, regardless of reason to change in a private bathroom if they felt uncomfortable in their biological assigned locker room for gym.  For many years, Saline Schools has encouraged this as a sensible middle ground for conflicting privacy matters.

Saline does not have a written policy that allows transgender students to choose their preferred locker room.   Michigan does not have a law that requires schools to allow transgender students to enter  and use their preferred locker room.  The previous policy of  providing a private area to change and not be forced to use their biological locker room, is a sensible middle ground.  It is solely the responsibility of the school board to decide on  policy for bathroom and locker room use based on the wants and needs of the community it serves.

On June 6, 2017 The Department of Education issued a letter saying that Office of Civil Rights will not investigate complaints from transgender students being unable to use locker rooms in schools under Title IX.   Currently the Supreme Court is expected to rule in 2020 on whether or not gender identity is protected under the term “sex” for many legal issues.

If you feel that at a minimum Saline Schools should have notified parents, instead of secretly changing school policy of locker room use, Please sign the petition to express your concern and contact the school administration.

If you think that until Saline either A) has an approved formal policy  B) Michigan changes its law or C) the Supreme court announces their ruling, they should rescind permission for transgender persons to choose their locker room preference, and use the previous sensible middle ground of offering a separate changing area to protect both their privacy and those of other students, then please contact sasboard@salineschools.org