Students, parents speak out in favor of bodily privacy in schools

WHO:  Students and parents in favor of bodily privacy in schools, ADF Senior Counsel Gary McCaleb, ADF Legal Counsel Kerri Kupec

WHAT:  Media briefing in which students and parents express their support for any action by the Trump administration, the Department of Justice, and/or the Department of Education to rescind an Obama administration directive that disregards the bodily privacy of students in schools

WHEN:  Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 2 p.m. EST

WHERE:  Attend by phone at (425) 440-5100, PIN 356719#, or attend online. A download of the call will be available immediately following.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The following quote may be attributed to Vicki Wilson, the mother of a child at Fremd High School in Palatine, Illinois, and a member of Students and Parents for Privacy, a group that is suing the school district and the federal government to protect student privacy:

 

“No school should impose a policy allowing boys to use the girls’ locker rooms or shower areas. Parents have a right to protect their children, and schools have a responsibility to do the same. We sympathize with children who have difficult personal issues to work through, but young men shouldn’t be permitted to deal with those issues in intimate settings with young girls, some as young as 14. Our daughters should never be forced to share private, intimate spaces with male classmates, even if those young men are struggling with these issues. It violates their right to privacy and harms their dignity. School districts should adopt privacy policies that respect the needs of all children because every child matters. The federal government should support them in doing so.”

The following quote may be attributed to Emma, a private school student in Pennsylvania who is deeply concerned about efforts to force girls to share their locker rooms, showers, and restrooms with boys:

“As a 17-year-old junior at a private Christian school, I don’t think boys should be allowed to use girls’ locker rooms or shower areas. Every student deserves to be treated equally, with dignity and respect. These bad policies do not promote equality because they force girls like me to undress or take a shower while a boy is present. There are better, compassionate solutions for kids who are struggling with these issues that protect the privacy, dignity, and well-being of all students because every student has value.”

The following quote may be attributed to Gary McCaleb, senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom:

“The privacy, safety, and dignity of young students should be the first concern of every local school official across America. The Obama administration radically distorted a federal law that was meant to equalize educational opportunities for women and then forced local officials to intermingle boys and girls within students’ private facilities like locker rooms, hotel rooms on school trips, and restrooms. The Trump administration would be right to return to the rule of law by rescinding the Obama administration’s misleading guidance. That’s just common sense. School officials shouldn’t have to fear losing crucial federal funding when they protect all students’ privacy.”

Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.