Loudoun County will spend $11 Million to construct a bathroom for trans-identifying students. This kind of restroom will be tested in two schools within their county.
Constructing Trans Bathroom
The Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) is looking into possibly renovating all of the schools' restrooms with ceiling-to-floor stalls and a communal sink area, The Christian Post reported.
As mentioned, students of a different gender who are required to share a bathroom will have a greater chance of maintaining their privacy due to the newly constructed bathrooms available to all genders.
According to records from a meeting held by the school on Mar. 14, the administration planned to test out this toilet alternative first at Loudoun Valley High School and then at Broad Run High School.
The school system has planned to spend $11 million on the prototype bathrooms. Additionally, LCPS is considering the construction of private bathrooms within the schools while maintaining gender-specific facilities.
The proposal comes at a time when instructors assert that they have, on multiple occasions, requested that the Loudoun County School Board employ more special education personnel. During a board of directors meeting, educators stated that the special education program requires an increased number of speech pathologists, teachers, and teaching assistants because the linguistic demands of the pupils are growing.
On Tuesday, Apr. 18, LCPS said in an interview that it is inaccurate that the institution cut funds for the special education program and claimed that the refurbishment is an effort to adhere to the Virginia Department of Education model regulations.
Students must use the restrooms that align with their gender by birth "except to the extent that federal law otherwise requires," according to the government of Gov. Glenn Youngkin's revised regulations.
Additionally, the model policies stipulate that single-user restrooms and other facilities should be made available, along with proper signage indicating that the location is open to all learners.
Also Read:Archdiocese Issues Revised Gender Policy Focusing on Biological Sex for Pronouns and Bathrooms
Parent's Stance on Trans Bathroom Plan
ABC 7 News reported that Loudoun County School Board Chair Ian Serotkin intends to provide accommodations for students who identify as nonbinary or transgender. However, some parents in Loudoun County believe that the LCPS is wasting money by spending millions on new restroom designs.
Based on the results of a poll conducted among more than 4,100 individuals in Loudoun County, one of the priorities that parents, teachers, and community members would want to see the next administrator of schools in the county focus on is special education.
On the other hand, a report from Fox News stated that Michael Rivera, a father of two who lives in Loudoun County and is running for a seat on the school board in the troubled district, believes that the strategy not only wastes the money provided by taxpayers but also ignores an additional problem that affects pupils who have special needs.
"This flies in the face of all of the cries from the community. We're talking about 11 million dollars that are not being directly spent on educating children, and, to be honest, it's quite insulting," he noted.
Rivera also mentioned that the community had voiced concerns in recent meetings over a shortage of financing for special needs programs; nevertheless, the bathroom proposal has supplanted their worries.
If the pilot experiment is successful, however, the spending of $11 million might increase. According to Rivera, restroom upgrades will initially be implemented at only four schools out of the nearly one hundred requiring them.
Related Article:Iowa Passes Controversial Bills Banning Gender-Affirming Care for Minors and Imposing Restrictions on Transgender Bathroom Use
