EAST ROCKHILL — The Pennridge School Board Monday evening repealed the district’s sex-based bathroom policy that required students to use the bathroom that matched their biological sex, effective August 1.
The move follows the federal government’s recent overhaul of Title IX, a 1972 law that prohibits sex discrimination in education. Among other provisions, the new 1,577-page regulation forbids blanket policies that bar transgender students from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity. While the regulation is set to take effect on August 1, several Republican-led states have filed lawsuits to block the change.
At Monday’s meeting, Superintendent Angelo Berrios stressed the importance of remaining in compliance with Title IX, a requirement for federal funding.
“The recent updates to federal Title IX regulations prompt us to reevaluate our approach to handling these matters,” said Berrios.
While retiring the current policy, the board and administration proposed a shift to an administrative regulation, which, unlike a formal policy, would provide the district with the flexibility to adapt to legal changes, said Berrios.
Under the proposed administrative regulation, the high school would offer three pairs of faculty restrooms, six pairs of sex-based multi-user bathrooms and one pair of gender-based multi-user bathrooms. The regulation would also provide four pairs of single-occupancy bathrooms, up from two pairs, with signage and exterior locks.
“This approach underscores our commitment to an inclusive and respectful environment where every member of our school community will feel welcomed and supported,” said Assistant Superintendent for Administration Bradley Palmer.
The administration is also considering the installation of modernized toilet stalls equipped with larger doors and dividers to enhance student privacy, said Palmer.
Board president Ron Wurz described the proposed regulation as a fair compromise.
“This is a compromise,” said Wurz. “I think it supports every child, and that’s why I believe we should retire this and give administration the flexibility they need to modify this in the future without having to go through three readings. That’s common sense to me.”
However, some board members reiterated concerns about enforcement mechanisms and the safety of female students in bathrooms.
In the end, the motion to retire the sex-based bathroom policy passed 5-4, with board members Wurz, Leah Rash, Chris Kaufman, Bradley Merkl-Gump and Carolyn Sciarrino voting in the majority and board members Christine Batycki, Jordan Blomgren, Ricki Chaikin and Bob Cormack voting in the minority.
Digital hall passes
The board approved a new digital hall pass system to monitor student movement throughout the high school and flag problem behavior, particularly meet-ups and loitering in the bathrooms. Under the new system, students will sign in and out of their classrooms on their computers.
“We’ve had a lot of complaints on bathroom behavior, bullying, drugs,” said Wurz. “This is one of the solutions of tracking people who abuse the system. It helps prevent some of the situations that our teachers aren’t capable of monitoring themselves.”
The policy passed 6-3, with Blomgren, Chaikin and Cormack voting in the minority after raising concerns about student privacy.
Proposed final budget
The board approved the proposed 2024-2025 final budget with no tax increases. The balanced budget projects revenues and expenditures of $159,147,064 and maintains the real estate tax rate of 135.2555 mills, which remains unchanged from the 2017-2018 school year.
The board also approved the Savvas My World Interactive Social Studies resource for the newly-written elementary social studies curriculum. The resource was vetted and approved by a committee of teachers, administrators, board members and members of the public.
The next Pennridge school board meeting is on June 17 at 7 p.m. For more information, visit pennridge.org.