School under fire for installing windows in gender-inclusive bathrooms so teachers and classmates can watch

A middle school in Pennsylvania is installing windows in its gender-inclusive bathrooms that will allow teachers and students to see inside from the hallway.

The new bathroom windows, at Emory H Markle Middle School in Hanover, will not allow people to see into stalls but give a full view of the sink areas, the Hanover Evening Sun reports.

The South Western School District Board in York County approved the windows in August. The district’s school board said it was installing the windows to “comply with guidance from the Independence Law Center”.

The Independence Law Center is a branch of the Pennsylvania Family Institute, a religious organization that advocates for the state to become “a place where God is honored”.

But the move has sparked concern from parents, community members and LGBTQ+ advocates.

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“It just raised a ton of concerns for me: privacy concerns, safety concerns, concerns for the kids who need those facilities,” Jennifer Holahan, a parent whose child attends school in the district, told local outlet WGAL 8. “I feel like this is a deterrent to keep them from using them.”

She added: “I can understand needing to have supervision over middle and high school students, especially in the bathrooms. I was a teenager once, I know it’s a tough spot. But I also think windows aren’t a solution. I think if it was a real issue, it wouldn’t just be gender-inclusive restrooms.”

Eric Stiles, executive director of LGBTQ+ advocacy group Rainbow Rose Center, told Penn Live he’s concerned that everyone, not just teachers, can see through the windows.

“There will be other students that use the windows, which means they can track each other when they use the bathroom or go away or try to get away,” Stiles said. “Often in high school, junior high or elementary schools, kids use the bathroom as a place to get away from bullies or hide or have a moment. Now there is this big window.”

“This is going to have a silencing effect,” he added. “It increases the danger for them in trying to use the bathroom. I know from reports that they are trying to increase oversight of the wash area. That’s what they are saying. What they really want is to ensure they have the right students in the right bathroom.”

Board president Matthew Gelazela said the district wants to open a view into the “non private” area of the bathroom, similar to “what has existed for years” in the district’s elementary schools. Students should not consider the non-stall areas of the bathroom “as private,” he said.

“In making the area outside of stalls more viewable, we are better able to monitor for a multitude of prohibited activities such as any possible vaping, drug use, bullying or absenteeism,” Gelazela said.

“Our current policy states ‘In any facility in a District school that is for use based on Gender Identity, in which a person may be in a state of undress in the presence of others, school personnel shall provide private changing areas for use,’” he continued. “Areas between our stalls and sinks in multiuser restrooms are not private changing areas under that policy.”

The Independent has contacted Gelazela for comment.

Superintendent Jay Burkhart declined to comment on whether the windows were being installed in only gender-inclusive bathrooms or all of the middle school’s bathrooms.

“The district administration did not make any physical alterations, including installation of the windows with sight lines to the sink areas, without specific directive from the board,” he told The Independent.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated on October 3, 2024 to include a statement from Superintendent Burkhart. This article has also been updated to reflect that Emory H Markle Middle School is in Hanover, not Parkville.