The new Poolesville High School features two all-gender bathrooms composed of six private stalls with communal sinks. There is one on each floor, and they both follow an open plan designed to ensure safety.
Principal Mr. Mark Carothers noted that some people have expressed concern about inappropriate behaviors occurring in the all-gender bathrooms. But, in his opinion, safety concerns in school bathrooms have always existed, and will likely always exist.
“I love teenagers, but they’re still teenagers and will make teenage decisions, and it’s our job to help mitigate the effects of those decisions,” Carothers said.
Cameras have been placed in the lobby areas of the bathrooms, and administrators and/or security team members have been assigned to supervise them. But, according to Carothers, the all-gender bathrooms present no more security concerns than their gendered counterparts.
All in all, Carothers would recommend that other high schools be built with all-gender bathrooms.
“If it even helps just a couple of students feel more comfortable in their own skin or in this environment, then absolutely I would recommend it,” Carothers stated.
The bathrooms have positively impacted some students. Senior Theo Harmon, who identifies as agender, was very excited when they first saw the bathrooms. They appreciate the privacy, and like how the bathrooms mean that students who are uncomfortable using gendered bathrooms are not separated from everyone else. In the old building students who did not want to use the gendered bathrooms were allowed to use the bathroom in the nurse’s office. However, Harmon thinks that this policy could isolate genderqueer students.
“By providing an inclusive space, you build a more inclusive community,” Harmon said.
Senior Ethan Chen also appreciates the privacy of the all-gender bathrooms and thinks that they are an important option to provide students. However, he wishes that students respected the spaces more and cleaned up after themselves.
“Something that bothers me is that often they’re kind of dirty,” Chen commented.
Poolesville High School’s all-gender bathrooms are a product of advocacy for gender-inclusive spaces in schools, and an investigation initiated by the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Board of Education.
In 2019, MCPS parent Ms. Julie Greenstein, who has two genderqueer children, stood before the MCPS school board and asked that new schools be constructed with exclusively all-gender bathrooms, citing the needs of her children, as well as those with social anxiety or a desire for additional privacy.
Following Greenstein’s remarks, then At Large MCPS Board of Education Member Ms. Jeannette Dixon requested that the superintendent provide the board information and cost analysis regarding the implementation of gender-neutral bathrooms in schools. Dixon also asked that school leaders investigate attitudes towards gender-neutral bathrooms in their communities. The superintendent’s investigation concluded that it would be “cost prohibitive” to install safe and secure gender-neutral bathrooms in existing schools. However, the investigation found that gender-neutral bathrooms could cost-effectively be incorporated into major capital construction projects like building new schools.
In line with this finding, the current MCPS policy on building new schools or renovating old ones states, “To the extent feasible, MCPS should build at least one gender-neutral restroom on each floor and in high-traffic areas.”
