Commonwealth Policy Center

Lexington’s Mary E. Britton Middle School, which is now under construction, will have gender-neutral bathrooms which boys and girls will share. However, Superintendent Demetrus Liggins told the Kentucky legislature’s Interim Joint Committee on Education that the goal of the new restroom design was to increase student safety. He contended that the new restrooms with wide open entry areas prevent bullying and other bad behavior. State Rep. Matt Lockett said the new designs doesn’t follow state law, which prevents gender neutral restrooms in public schools. Lockett said, “We expect our schools to be safe, learning environments, not social experiments… We expect that our students shouldn’t be afraid or embarrassed, bullied or harassed in school. And at the end of the day, we want our public schools, including Fayette County, to be the best that they can be.”