Matt Lockett, who represents parts of Fayette County, told lawmakers the designs for Mary E Britton Middle School restrooms are "gender neutral and will result in harm to students."
"This is not a safer design," Rep. Lockett stated. "And while I'm assuming this is an effort to be all inclusive, this design puts all students at risk."
Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Demetrius Liggins defended the layout — which includes individual stalls that open into a space with shared sinks and mirrors —saying the design makes sense for a number of reasons.
"The principal has determined that there will be a set of restrooms that are for boys. There's a set of restrooms that are for girls," Liggins said. "There's nothing that has stated that this these restrooms are gender-neutral, if you will. They are simply for privacy purposes. And they are for supervision purposes."
Lockett's proposed legislation would require all Kentucky schools with at least 100 students to have at least 90% of their restrooms listed as gender specific, with 10% permitted to be gender-neutral.
