Parent challenges Francis Howell School District on bathroom policy
A parent has formally requested the Francis Howell School District clarify its enforcement of the district bathroom policy, along with any potential violations of such policy.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. - A parent has formally requested the Francis Howell School District clarify its enforcement of the district bathroom policy, along with any potential violations of such policy.
David Jaworksi is expected to speak at a Francis Howell School Board meeting Thursday regarding his request, according to documents from attorney Mary Catherine Martin. He claims that this comes with student safety and district accountability in mind.
The request, which prompts the school district to clarify and enforce its current bathroom policy, appears to be connected with the issue of gender identity.
Documents allege that while the district has a single-sex bathroom usage policy, communicated through uniform signage, it has not been enforced consistently.
According to Jaworksi's request, students have reported to a group of parents that one student who was born male has been using a bathroom with signage indicating its intended use for female students and staff. The documents claim that students have faced social pressure to report such occurrences.
Efforts to change the school's bathroom policy have been ongoing for at least a year. According to FOX 2's news partners at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the school board indicated last month it would not approve a policy banning students from using bathrooms that aligned with their gender identity "any time soon."
Jaworksi's formal request asks the Francis Howell's superintendent or school board to "issue a public statement clarifying the District's current bathroom policy" that includes "a clear statement of when, by whom, and by what criteria each student's sex may be determined for the purpose of District bathroom use."
A Francis Howell School District spokesperson sent FOX 2 a statement in response to the latest request, Jaworski's planned remarks, and Thursday's school board meeting.
“In accordance with state statute, Policy 0412 allows residents of the District to submit a Board agenda item if their concern cannot be resolved after meeting with the Superintendent or designee. Following the general public comment period, the resident(s) who made the request will be allotted the designated amount of time, a total of 5 minutes, to speak to the Board. In accordance with this policy, a patron will speak at tonight’s Board of Education meeting about a proposed bathroom policy (Policy 2116). This policy is not slated for Board discussion or action at this time.”
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