October 16, 2020
During the public participation section of our October Board of Education meeting, a few community members raised questions regarding the restroom design in our new and renovated schools. I wanted to take time to clear up any rumors or confusion about this.
Let me start by describing the design of the new restrooms, which are actually all private toilet rooms. Instead of going into a “girls” or “boys” bathroom with a row of stalls that are open on the bottom and the top, you now have a row of private toilet rooms with full, floor-to-ceiling walls and a full, locking door. The row of toilet rooms is visible from the hallway so that staff can better monitor students. Because they are completely private toilet rooms, they can be used by any student. The sinks and mirrors are right outside those private toilet rooms and can also be used by any student - which is the same design we have had in UA and has existed across the country for many decades. When each building master plan project is complete, it will also have separate boys and girls restrooms available.
So why did we move away from bathroom stalls for boys and girls? There are many reasons, but the main one is pretty straightforward - privacy. I think all of us, no matter what age, prefer to use the restroom privately. It’s the same reason we are seeing more and more single-use restrooms popping up in stores, restaurants and other public spaces.
The other reasons for the updated design come down to practicality and safety. It’s easier to supervise students and minimize the risk of teasing and even bullying when staff can supervise the area and all of their students. It was not possible for one adult to do that when students would leave to go to two separate restroom areas. And when we have students who are questioning their assigned gender or sex or who identify differently than their assigned gender or sex, they are able to use the restroom without added stress for themselves or their classmates.
You’ll recall that we had many, many meetings during the 18-month design phase for our facilities master plan - there were community meetings, steering committee meetings involving staff and community members, and Board of Education meetings. While the bathroom design was not typically the main focus, our restroom design was openly discussed in several meetings and can be seen in PowerPoint presentations shared with the community. These meetings were attended by parents and community members, and parents and community members served on the committees involved in the design phase as well.
Throughout this process, we have been working in partnership with the City of Upper Arlington regarding building code. In partnership with the City, we have followed and will continue to follow all of the proper channels for building compliance, design and construction. The fact is, the existing Ohio building code is old and does not address private toilet rooms in schools in the way that the International Building code does for educational facilities.
Recognizing this, the City gave the green light for all of our new and renovated buildings to open on schedule as designed while the Ohio Board of Building Appeals (BBA) considered our design. A hearing was held on June 4, and I shared the plans for private toilet rooms in the new and renovated facilities for all of the reasons I mentioned above. I also explained at the hearing that throughout our design and community engagement process there had been both public support and opposition to the toilet rooms, which the BBA noted and confirmed on the record. The BBA denied our request for the variance by a vote of 3-2. The Board of Education then appealed that decision to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. After reviewing the matter and evaluating the state of the law, the court ruled the district was entitled to a variance to allow the toilet rooms.
We will continue to partner and collaborate with the City in order to ensure our new and renovated schools continue to run smoothly and that we follow all legal requirements. I continue to be grateful for the partnership of the families and community members who helped to design these incredible new learning spaces, which will serve our students well and be a source of pride for our community for generations to come.