Trans-Friendly Bathrooms in WCPS
The Issue
In Worcester County Public Schools, especially Stephen Decatur High School, the transgender and nonbinary bathroom policy is ridiculously difficult and unfair. All transgender or nonbinary students who are either uncomfortable or simply not safe in gendered bathrooms are forced to use the nurse's bathroom.
- The nurse's bathroom is completely unsanitary and cannot handle the inflow of children using it. Yesterday, I used the nurse's bathroom directly after a custodian had cleaned it (I waited for them to finish) and it was very obviously unclean and still smelled strongly of diarrhea.
- There is also a sign-in sheet for the nurse's bathroom to account for the amount of people taking advantage of it and skipping class. This restricts people who actually need to use the restroom even more.
- The nurse's restroom is by the front office, which is a ridiculously long walk from almost all classrooms, especially science, math, and foreign language rooms. For teachers with strict bathroom policies, this amount of time out of class is "unacceptable" and usually seen as an attempt to skip class.
One temporary solution to this problem I had found was personally asking a teacher to unlock the staff restroom for me, which has worked for most of my freshman year. I have never taken more than three minutes in the teacher's restroom (I am assigned female at birth, so I was taking care of necessary hygiene routines), and I have been incredibly professional leaving the bathrooms as clean as I found them (even to the point of wiping up accidental water drips from the sink), but I have since been restricted from using said bathrooms by administration.
The gendered restrooms are simply not safe for transgender individuals. As a transgender guy (female to male), I have been harassed in both women's and men's bathrooms, to the point of being called slurs and having soapy paper towels thrown at me until I leave.
By restricting transgender bathroom usage instead of offering support, the school is dramatically increasing risks for health problems and infections, especially in those who menstruate. This is completely unacceptable, and we need change.
Please share this petition with anyone you know who may support it. Parents, students and staff are welcome to sign.
The Issue
In Worcester County Public Schools, especially Stephen Decatur High School, the transgender and nonbinary bathroom policy is ridiculously difficult and unfair. All transgender or nonbinary students who are either uncomfortable or simply not safe in gendered bathrooms are forced to use the nurse's bathroom.
- The nurse's bathroom is completely unsanitary and cannot handle the inflow of children using it. Yesterday, I used the nurse's bathroom directly after a custodian had cleaned it (I waited for them to finish) and it was very obviously unclean and still smelled strongly of diarrhea.
- There is also a sign-in sheet for the nurse's bathroom to account for the amount of people taking advantage of it and skipping class. This restricts people who actually need to use the restroom even more.
- The nurse's restroom is by the front office, which is a ridiculously long walk from almost all classrooms, especially science, math, and foreign language rooms. For teachers with strict bathroom policies, this amount of time out of class is "unacceptable" and usually seen as an attempt to skip class.
One temporary solution to this problem I had found was personally asking a teacher to unlock the staff restroom for me, which has worked for most of my freshman year. I have never taken more than three minutes in the teacher's restroom (I am assigned female at birth, so I was taking care of necessary hygiene routines), and I have been incredibly professional leaving the bathrooms as clean as I found them (even to the point of wiping up accidental water drips from the sink), but I have since been restricted from using said bathrooms by administration.
The gendered restrooms are simply not safe for transgender individuals. As a transgender guy (female to male), I have been harassed in both women's and men's bathrooms, to the point of being called slurs and having soapy paper towels thrown at me until I leave.
By restricting transgender bathroom usage instead of offering support, the school is dramatically increasing risks for health problems and infections, especially in those who menstruate. This is completely unacceptable, and we need change.
Please share this petition with anyone you know who may support it. Parents, students and staff are welcome to sign.
Petition Updates
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Petition created on March 16, 2022