Administration introduced a gender-neutral restroom into the freshman hallway at the beginning of the school year. The restroom gives a place to those who wish to use it where they can feel more comfortable in the school environment.

Students and families have conveyed their wishes for a gender-neutral bathroom to the administration of the Oakwood City School District. Due to this, administration implemented the construction of the restroom.

“During the last few years, we have been working with students to accommodate their needs,” Drs. Paul Waller and Kyle Ramey, the principal of OHS and the superintendent of the district respectively, said. “We thought it was important to have options for all students and staff.”

According to the administration, there have been no complaints or opposition to the restroom. 

“I always thought the school was very accepting,” Grace LaFountain (10) said. “I think it’s a good addition to help everyone feel more comfortable in the school environment.”

Administration tries to support and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, in other ways than finding a place for everyone to use the restroom.

“We have several clubs in place that are designed to be inclusive and generate awareness and acceptance of diversity,” Waller and Ramey said. “We continue to stay in touch with our LGBTQ+ community to ensure we are being supportive.”

Many in the LGBTQ+ community believe the same; however, there are opposing opinions that reside in the student body.

“Some are very supportive about it, saying that it was good for the school for doing that,” Alayna Heart (12) said. “Meanwhile there are that few majority that make fun of it, mocking it, saying that it’s useless and unnecessary.”

Oakwood is not the first to build a gender-neutral bathroom. Schools across the nation have added these bathrooms to their facilities. This is due to the recent court cases that pertain to LGBTQ+ rights. One example is Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board. 

Gloucester High School, located in Virginia, denied Gavin Grimm, a transgender student, the right to go to the boys’ restroom. Grimm filed a lawsuit against the school board, and it went to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The specific argument Grimm made was that this denial violated Title IX of the U.S. Education Act of 1972, which prohibits schools from participating in sex discrimination. The court ruled that this rejection of Grimm’s right was a violation of Title IX.

This case and many others have affected the way that schools view LGBTQ+ students and staff. However, these cases were not the primary cause of the restroom’s development.

“There has been increased awareness of this issue,” Waller and Ramey said. “We are also aware we need to continually look at the needs of all of our students.”