Every public high school in Peel Region will have an all-gender washroom this school year, director Tony Pontes announced Wednesday morning.

Speaking to hundreds of staff at his annual kick-off to the school year, he said the Peel District School Board must make sure all students feel safe.

“Last year I talked about a designated bathroom at Jean Augustine Secondary School (in Brampton) for students who self-identify as trans and need a place of safety . . . Since then, I have had lots of conversations about this. About why students or staff would self-identify. Why do they need a separate bathroom? Some believe that identification is counter to their personal beliefs.

“Bottom line — it is not our role to ask why someone self-identifies, it is not about our personal beliefs and what bathroom they choose is not our business. Our job is that when they do identify, we make sure they have a place of safety — just as we do for every other student.”

Last fall, Pontes and the board took a firm stand on the new health curriculum, saying while parents have the right to pull their kids from sex-ed lessons, they could not opt kids out of lessons or talk about gender equity.

He mentioned the sex-ed controversy again Wednesday, saying the curriculum “was, without a question, a point when we chose to stand behind our value of inclusion.”

He said he’s “proud to say that within this school year, every secondary school will have a designated bathroom for students,” with a sign that says “inclusive washroom.”

He also said the board will “continue this conversation to our middle schools” as well as establishing gay-straight alliance groups for senior elementary students as well.