Frisco ISD now has bathroom use policy for transgender students

Frisco ISD trustees unanimously approved a new policy Monday night outlining which bathrooms can be used by transgender students. The district did not previously have a written policy on the issue. “The approved policy is consistent with our current practices, and at this time there are no plans to update those practices. Transgender students and their families may continue to request an accommodation if a student is uncomfortable using a particular bathroom,” Meghan Cone, assistant communications director, said in an email. Cone said the district “strives to provide an optimal learning environment in which all students feel safe, valued and welcomed. To that end, we confer with families to ensure that individual needs are met and that we are providing a safe and supportive environment for all students,” she said. In September, parents packed the board meeting for discussion of the issue. The majority of the 40 who spoke said they were upset after learning transgender students are allowed to use their preferred bathroom.

During Monday’s meeting, 26 people spoke, with an even split of those for the new policy and those against. “What is it about us that scares you?” asked Stacey Monroe, a transgender woman who is an advocate for transgender students in Dallas-Fort Worth. “We are human like everyone here today. We want to be loved, respected and allowed to thrive, not to be constantly attacked or pushed to suicide or murdered for who we are.” Haley Hunter, a history teacher in the district, was also against the board policy and reminded trustees that “history has its eyes on you.” “The past few board meetings I’ve been to shocked me about how stakeholders have spoken about our kids in this room. Our mission statement doesn’t have any exceptions … it’s every child, every name, every need and every day,” she said. The policy’s language was questioned by trustee Marvin Lowe, who asked Superintendent Mike Waldrip to clarify what the “other accommodations such as a private bathroom” meant. “So if we meet with a parent and they decide using a single-use bathroom is not acceptable, and they want (their child) to use a bathroom that identifies with their gender or what they believe they are, this policy will still permit that, is that what you are saying?”