Students at John Jay High School recently staged a walkout to protest a new school policy that lets people use the bathroom based on their self-identified gender instead of their actual sex.
There was worry among the students because many of them didn’t like the new policy.
There was also a counterprotest by people who wanted transgender kids to be able to use the restrooms that were most comfortable for them based on their gender identity.
The counterprotest was put together by the Defense of Democracy, a group that works to make American school and library systems safer and more welcoming to everyone.
Transgender students who participated in this counterprotest emphasized the importance of speaking up and the fact that all students, regardless of gender identity, are people.
The District School Superintendent, Dwight Bonk, talked about the problem by bringing up a letter that had been going around the school.
The letter claimed that school bathrooms had harmed transgender students, but Bonk denied knowing of any such cases.
He said again that the district was committed to keeping all kids safe, which shows that the school’s policy is open to everyone.
John Jay High School has a variety of restrooms, including one with a single stall that all students, regardless of gender identity, can use.
Bonk said that the district had to follow the rules and provide transgender students with appropriate restrooms. He promised that the school district would continue to uphold all kids’ rights while following the rules.
In addition, the superintendent said that students who left school early because of the walkout would be talking about behavior issues in the next few days in order to address the concerns and keep the school a safe and welcoming place for everyone.
