SELINSGROVE – Students in at least one Valley school district can choose a restroom based on their gender identity. Selinsgrove Area School District sent a letter to parents this week saying students can select a restroom based on their identifying gender. Superintendent Chad Cohrs says the district is complying with Title 9 requirements.
He explained, “You cannot discriminate, based on a student’s birth sex or gender identity, which includes transgender students. That means we cannot prohibit a student from using a restroom or locker room that matches with their gender identity.”
He says they have also had requests from students and parents, “We certainly have transgender students in the district. Although, at this point, all of the transgender students that we are aware of are really at the high school level. But, we did receive requests from transgender students and their families to allow their student to use the restroom of their new identity.”
Cohrs says they have received a few questions from parents including this one, “What about a student who uses the opposite restroom and then claims they are transgender. Well, we treat that as a regular disciplinary infraction, just like any other time if a boy would go in a girl’s restroom. We do our due diligence to talk with the student, talk with the parents, to really make sure that the student is truly identifying as a transgender student, before we will grant them permission to use the restroom of their identifying gender.”
He says school districts across the state have been trying to keep up with the latest regarding transgender students, “It’s a two part issue. There is the philosophical issue that people either agree or disagree with transgender students and their rights. The other issue that I think people tend to lump in with that is what I will call a safety issue. Some people tend to jump to the conclusion that a transgender student is also a safety risk to other students in the building. That’s really not the case at all.”
He says parents should not be worried about student safety in the restrooms. Cohrs said transgender students are not out to attack and assault other students.
