FRANKFORT, Ky. — School bathrooms were the topic of discussion among lawmakers during an Aug. 20 meeting in Frankfort. 

What You Need To Know

  • Republican lawmakers are critical of a decision by Fayette County Public Schools 

  • The district plans to include gender-neutral restrooms in Britton Middle School, which is under construction

  • Demetrus Liggins, FCPS superintendent, said the decision will help curb issues such as violence and vandalism 

  • One Republican is crafting a bill that would require districts have 90% of their restrooms designated for a specific biological sex

State Rep. Matt Lockett, R-Nicholasville, and several other Republicans expressed their concerns with plans to include gender-neutral restrooms in a Fayette County middle school under construction.

“While I'm assuming this is an effort to be all-inclusive, this design puts all students at risk,” Lockett said.

Renderings from Fayette County Public Schools show what the individual-stall restrooms would look like. Each would have floor-to-ceiling doors on each stall, sink areas would be shared and could be monitored by school staff. 

Demetrus Liggins, FCPS superintendent, said Britton Middle School will also have restrooms reserved for students of the same sex. 

“The law is clear and the intent is clear from Senate Bill 150, but what did Fayette County Public Schools do? They removed the biological sex label from the door, thereby circumventing the intent of the law,” Lockett said.

The Kentucky legislature passed Senate Bill 150 in April 2023, an omnibus anti-transgender bill that, among other things, stated students are to use restrooms that align with their gender at birth.

In his testimony to lawmakers, Liggins said his district faces several issues with restrooms, including vaping, vandalism and violence. He said he thinks this new design addresses these issues. 

“They allow for supervision to where adults can actually see who goes in and out of the individual restrooms, unlike the traditional model, to where there are individuals on the outside of the restroom,” Liggins said.

The 2022-23 Safe Schools Annual Statistical Report found incidents reported to have taken place in the restroom increased over the last few years. 

State Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, said she doesn't think FCPS' proposal solves such issues. 

“I think we have discipline issues that we can get under control if we actually discipline our students as opposed to reworking the school because the discipline issues will just move somewhere else if we don't take care of them in their entirety,” Tichenor said.

Britton Middle School is expected to open in Aug. 2025.

“This is really about ensuring the safety of our of our students, which is our No. 1 priority,” Liggins reiterated to lawmakers.

Lockett also presented a bill draft he is working on to address his concerns. The bill would require schools with more than 100 students to have at least 90% of their restrooms designated for a specific biological sex. 

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