Last year, the school installed three gender neutral bathrooms claiming they were for the use of students with fluid, non-conforming gender-identies. These are located on the top floor, near the language lab. In point of fact, two of these restrooms are for faculty only, and the signs outside the single-occupancy stalls seem to be more to comply with regulations rather than to actually provided needed privacy and convenience to those who truly need these facilities most.

The district further claims that more gender neutral bathrooms are also under construction in more convenient places.  This was done because there were already girls’, boys’, and faculty bathrooms, but nothing where non-binary students could feel comfortable. However, there is only one gender neutral bathroom intended for student use that is scheduled to be under construction where the assistant superintendent’s office is currently located. At the moment, there are no set plans for when the construction will begin, leaving some without the benefit of a basic right: to use the restroom.

Installment of these rest rooms in the school is long overdue, considering that there were none until last year. With the help of the students and faculty members, this was finally made possible. Before the bathrooms were added, students in need of gender neutral bathrooms felt dismayed and unwelcome.

The vote to add more gender neutral bathrooms took place on April 21 of this year when the school board decided to create a budget for the construction. This was met with satisfaction from those who worked hardest to achieve the goal. One such person was senior Jordan Schwarz, a member of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA).

“These bathrooms are a necessity for making PMHS a welcoming, safe community for all students,” Schwarz said.