LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Fayette County Public Schools’ Board of Education held a meeting today to allow for public comment on the district’s student privacy rights policy and on Senate Bill 150, which has provisions pertaining to school bathrooms.

What You Need To Know

  • A meeting to hear from the public about Fayette County Public Schools' privacy rights policy was held at the district building. The meeting also addressed SB 150, which has provisions about school bathrooms

  • LGBTQ+ advocates held a rally outside of the building where they chanted and listened to speakers. They have a list of demands to ensure that there is access to single occupancy bathrooms for students

  •  Teachers, parents and students participated in the rally to speak up for trans students

  • One parent says that her son doesn't feel comfortable using his school's restrooms

Advocates gathered in front of the district building to speak up for trans kids in schools. They have four demands for the district regarding gender neutral bathrooms.

“They’re required to pass a policy about student privacy,” said Mason Chernosky, the rally organizer. “We’re asking them to allow trans students to use gender neutral bathrooms and to commit to building gender neutral bathrooms at every school in Fayette County Public Schools.”

Teachers, students and parents took part in the rally to support this initiative, and ultimately to stand behind trans kids.

Beth Breitmayer, who was at the rally, has a son named Noah. He came out as trans when he was in 8th grade and is going into his junior year at Lafayette High School.

“Noah doesn’t go to the bathroom at school, at all,” said Breitmayer. “If he needs to go to the bathroom, like if it’s an extreme case, he would call me and would ask me to take him out of school before he would go to a bathroom in school.”

Teachers that took part in the action say that it’s important for educators to speak up.

“As a teacher, as a union member with AFT, that our students’ learning conditions are also our teachers’ working conditions and that it’s our duty to be here and advocate for our students,” said James Woodhead, a teacher at Promise Academy at Harrison Elementary School.

Breitmayer believes FCPS has made many strides to ensure that its schools are affirming for LGBTQ+ students, and she hopes the district takes another step forward by having single occupancy bathrooms.

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