WENTZVILLE, Mo. – Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey met with Wentzville School District Board of Education members Thursday to discuss the district’s transgender restroom policy.
Bailey sued the district in September, saying the policy violated the open meeting law by discussing the issue behind closed doors.
“Parents have the right to know who is in the bathroom with their children,” Bailey said. “Members knowingly and purposely denied parents that right when they did something with the bathroom policy in secret.”
The school board’s new ruling places restrictions on what bathrooms and locker rooms transgender students can use. In a 5-2 vote, the new policy requires anyone who uses a school district bathroom to use the room that matches their assigned sex at birth.
Transgender students will still be able to use single-stall bathrooms and locker rooms when the policy goes into effect April 3.
“The Wentzville School District remains committed to establishing a safe and welcoming environment for all students within the WSD family while also upholding Board Policy,” a statement from the Wentzville School District said. “All WSD students are valued and integral members of our community. Monitoring and ensuring the safety of all students are routine responsibilities of our staff and will continue to be of utmost importance.”
Those in support of transgender students called the attorney general’s appearance a photo opportunity.
“So, for you to tell me I need to use the bathroom of my sex assigned at birth, that’s not possible,” Jordan Braxton, vice president of Transparent, said. “Myself walking into a men’s bathroom, the men would tell me I am in the wrong bathroom…I have never once had a problem using a women’s restroom.”
