ACLU files injunction in lawsuit over Mat Su schools bathroom policy

A schoolroom astatine Dena’ina Elementary School, which opened successful 2016 (Mat-Su School District photo)

The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska revenge an injunction successful District Court Wednesday successful their lawsuit against nan Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District’s bath argumentation for transgender students. The ACLU’s mobility seeks to let 1 of nan plaintiffs successful nan lawsuit, a student who identifies arsenic a boy, to usage nan boys bathroom.

Under nan current policy passed by nan Mat-Su School Board successful October of 2022, students must usage nan bath of nan gender they were assigned astatine birth, moreover if they nary longer place that way.

Meghan Barker is nan Communications Director for nan ACLU of Alaska. She said nan district’s bath argumentation puts nan student nether beingness and intelligence distress.

“We’re seeking nan alleviation truthful that they don’t person to proceed to strengthen nan nationalist outing, nan having to make different accommodations to either not person to usage nan bath aliases usage a gender neutral bathroom,” Barker said. “A batch of those things person stayed nan same, and nan harm is still being incurred by nan student.”

The ACLU sued nan territory successful January connected behalf of nan student and his parents. According to nan lawsuit, nan student trim his hairsbreadth short and began utilizing a boy’s sanction successful nan summertime of 2023. The student utilized nan girls’ bath arsenic required by nan district’s bath policy, but was questioned by big staff.

Supporters of nan district’s bath argumentation told nan schoolhouse committee that it was needed to protect cisgender female students. Barker argues nan opposite.

“We do not spot this argumentation protecting female students. In fact, it’s much harmful to nan students who are being forced to usage a bath that doesn’t align pinch their gender identity,” Barker said.

A spokesperson for nan territory said Wednesday they person not yet received nan mobility and did not connection a comment. The Mat-Su was the first and is still nan only schoolhouse territory successful nan authorities to forestall transgender students from utilizing bathrooms that lucifer their gender identity. The territory was besides nan first successful Alaska to ban transgender athletes from competing connected teams that lucifer their gender personality and requires parental permission earlier students tin alteration nan sanction aliases pronouns they usage astatine school.

The territory faces three other lawsuits from nan ACLU complete their removal of challenged books, nan free reside authorities of students, and restraint and seclusion practice.