Advertisement Pine-Richland schools face questions about transgender bathroom practices Parents were recently made aware of practice that's been in place 'for years' Share Shares Copy Link Copy

It’s been the practice for a few years at Pine-Richland High School that transgender students can use the bathroom of the gender with which they identify, regardless of their anatomy.Fast forward to three weeks ago, on March 11, when Pine-Richland School District Superintendent Brian Miller sent a letter to parents explaining this practice and its importance in terms of being in compliance with federal civil rights laws.In that letter, Miller said he understood that this may be an issue for some parents.Dozens of parents attended a school board meeting Monday night and talked about their concerns now that they had learned this was the school district's practice.Parents expressed concerns about safety, privacy and their kids feeling uncomfortable. Many would like some sort of opt-in policy so they can decide whether they want their children to use the same restrooms as transgender students.But there were also parents who pointed out that there hadn't been any issues with the current practice, and that making any change would single out transgender students, possibly discriminating against them.Two transgender students spoke at the meeting,"Our purpose is to live the life that we want to life, which I think is what all of us are trying to do, so it would just really help if we could just use the bathrooms that we feel we most define with," Erika Ridenour said.Parents commended the two students for speaking, but said it's a privacy issue."It’s not about you," one parent said, "It’s about our own kids that want to feel the same things that you guys are feeling, but privacy. That’s all this is."One school board member tried to introduce a motion to vote on an opt-in policy Monday night, but a subsequent motion to table it was passed by a 5-4 count.Next up is a community meeting on April 21 to discuss the topic.Get the WTAE Pittsburgh's Action News 4 App