Maria DeVito, and Jessie Balmert

Newark Advocate

NEWARK - Licking County schools are working on accommodating transgender students, but they're still figuring out a way to do it districtwide.

The U.S. Department of Education told school districts Friday to allow students to use restrooms and locker rooms "consistent with their gender identity," but superintendents from Newark City Schools and Licking Valley Local Schools said they want to discuss it more before implementing that policy.

They said in the past they've taken cases as they've come and worked with students and families to make sure the student is comfortable.

"We've provided in the past whatever that meant," Newark Superintendent Doug Ute said.

Districts have let transgender students use private staff bathrooms, for example. Dave Hile, superintendent at Licking Valley, said students also have used the bathroom at the nurse's office.

Ute said as of now no transgender students have asked to use a bathroom matching their gender identity.

Trevor Thomas, Heath's superintendent, said the district has let students use the bathroom that matches their gender identity, and teachers use the students' preferred pronouns.

"We respect that student just like we would any other student," he said.

Ute said Newark's top priority is the comfort and safety of not just transgender students, but all students. That's why he wants to talk with other districts before Newark allows students to use the restroom that matches their identity.

Hile said he wants to have conversations with the school board before making any changes.

While the U.S. Department of Education’s recommendation might make lives easier for some Ohio students, Grant Stancliff, spokesman for Equality Ohio, said “this has been pretty much implicit policy for a while.”

Ohio Department of Education officials are reviewing the federal guidance before taking any steps. Still, “all students deserve a safe and positive learning environment,” spokeswoman Brittany Halpin said. Gov. John Kasich, who recently ended a bid to become GOP presidential nominee, declined to comment.

Ohio law already requires that schools have policies against bullying and penalties for students that break them. In November 2014, the Ohio High School Athletic Association developed policies for transgender athletes that detail when students are eligible to play on male or female teams.

“Transgender student athletes should have equal opportunity to participate in sports,” the policy reads.

Still, Ohio’s GOP-controlled legislature has not passed nondiscrimination proposals, introduced repeatedly by Rep. Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, the state’s first openly gay lawmaker. On Friday, she introduced a bill to make it easier to prosecute hate crimes committed based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

And Rep. John Becker, R-Union Township in Clermont County, is working on a bathroom bill to protect people against those who pretend to be transgender to access women’s bathrooms. Stancliff said this isn’t a problem in Ohio.

mdevito@gannett.com

740-328-8513

Twitter: @MariaDeVito13