US Supreme Court grants Va. school district's request to protect student privacy for now
Wednesday, Aug 3, 2016
The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Jeremy Tedesco regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-3 decision Wednesday in Gloucester County School Board v. G.G. to place a temporary hold on a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit that required a Virginia school district to open up its restrooms to members of the opposite sex:
“Schools have a duty to protect the privacy and safety of all students. That’s a principle that numerous other courts—including the 4th Circuit itself—have upheld. Federal law specifically authorizes schools to have single-sex restrooms and locker rooms, as the judge who dissented from the 4th Circuit’s decision rightly noted. The Supreme Court did the right thing in placing the 4th Circuit panel’s mandate and the preliminary injunction entered by the district court on hold until the high court itself has a chance to decide if it will take up this case.”
In May, Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the full 4th Circuit on behalf of 50 concerned parents, students, grandparents, and community members urging the court to reverse the 4th Circuit panel’s 2-1 ruling against the Gloucester County School Board’s student privacy policy. That policy protects students’ privacy and safety by reserving restrooms and locker rooms for members of the same biological sex, while providing an alternative private facility for students uncomfortable using a facility that corresponds with their sex.
“Schools have a duty to protect the privacy and safety of all students. That’s a principle that numerous other courts—including the 4th Circuit itself—have upheld. Federal law specifically authorizes schools to have single-sex restrooms and locker rooms, as the judge who dissented from the 4th Circuit’s decision rightly noted. The Supreme Court did the right thing in placing the 4th Circuit panel’s mandate and the preliminary injunction entered by the district court on hold until the high court itself has a chance to decide if it will take up this case.”
In May, Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the full 4th Circuit on behalf of 50 concerned parents, students, grandparents, and community members urging the court to reverse the 4th Circuit panel’s 2-1 ruling against the Gloucester County School Board’s student privacy policy. That policy protects students’ privacy and safety by reserving restrooms and locker rooms for members of the same biological sex, while providing an alternative private facility for students uncomfortable using a facility that corresponds with their sex.
- Pronunciation guide: Tedesco (Tuh-DESS’-koh)
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.
# # # | Ref. 52217