Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
BY ELIZABETH CAMPBELL
UPDATED SEPTEMBER 13, 2022 10:49 AM​​​​​​

Trustees and some in the audience got into a heated exchange Monday night over the Frisco school district’s policies on students using restrooms based on their biological sex.

An attorney for the school district said during the board meeting that the district’s policy is for students to use restrooms according to their biological sex assigned at birth unless a parent requests an accommodation.

But some trustees questioned why there was no written policy in place and said parents needed to know what was going on in their children’s schools regarding restroom use.

Erin Miller, the district’s chief student services officer, said the school district has to handle such information carefully and not release any identifiable information about a student so as not to violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Miller said there are a variety of reasons why some children don’t feel comfortable in restrooms that have nothing to do with whether they are transgender.

Before Monday’s meeting, the Frisco school district issued a statement about the agenda topic on discussing laws and practices related to students who are uncomfortable using the bathroom that aligns with their sex assigned at birth.

“Federal law prohibits FISD from denying students equal access to bathrooms,” the statement read. “In the vast majority of these situations, the student’s family chooses to have the student use a private, single-use bathroom. All students cannot merely decide on a given day which bathroom to use.”

The board took no action and did not vote on any policy on student bathroom use.

Trustee Marvin Lowe asked, “How do you think ending this unwritten policy would affect transgender students?”

Miller said, “I understand that transgender students are more likely to be bullied and more likely to commit suicide.”

Lowe then asked, “How do we accommodate less than 1% of the whole student population? Why are we changing our rules for less than 1% of the population when we know that more than 1% are going to be uncomfortable with this situation?”

Miller said the district must provide a safe environment for all students.

Lowe was chastised when another trustee said, “You are elected to represent every kid in this district.”

Trustee Dynette Davis questioned why board members were talking about discrimination in 2022.

“After hearing everyone on this dais, I felt the need to share my heart,” Davis told board members.

She said she was disappointed that trustees were having the same conversation that took place 68 years ago. Sixty-eight years ago, Black students did not attend the same school as their white peers, Davis said.

“There was no running water. There were outhouses,” she said, referring to where Black students could use the restroom.

“We come a long way yet, here we are today deciding which specific group of human beings deserve what. Who decides where this population uses the restroom?”

Miller said that during the last school year, there were 361 incidents reported involving discipline in restrooms on 73 campuses, and none of those were related to transgender students.

Miller said the restrooms need to be monitored during passing period hours. The district is also placing “Stop it” posters in restrooms to encourage students to report problems.

The Frisco school district spans portions of Denton and Collin counties in North Texas.

This story was originally published September 13, 2022 5:30 AM.