Complaints over a Pennsylvania school board’s approval to put windows in gender-neutral bathrooms, may have already resulted in a reversal of that decision. The South Western School District school board approved the construction in August.
The openings could be seen earlier this week at Emory H. Markle Middle School in Hanover.
But, by Thursday, Oct. 3, the openings in the walls were closed. A local group called “Citizens of South Western’s Future” posted the update.
The openings made the inside of the bathrooms, but not the stalls, visible from the school hallway.
The board’s president said they made the decision to install the openings so it would be easier to monitor “prohibited activities such as any possible vaping, drug use, bullying or absenteeism.”
Many parents expressed concern over the decision for the privacy of their children.
Some also said it was discrimination toward LGBTQ students.
The project cost $8,700, which critics said was a waste of taxpayer money.
The school board has not confirmed why the windows were boarded up, but some residents suspect it’s due to the backlash.