SOCASTEE, SC (WBTW) – A transgender rights group is threatening to sue Horry County Schools because a student claims he was not allowed to use the boy’s bathroom.
The student’s mother, identified as Lynne, says her son had been using the boys bathroom since middle school. It wasn’t a problem until his senior year, when she says a teacher filed a complaint and administrators asked her son to stop using the boy’s bathroom.
Lynne says her son told her in December that he was banned from using the boys bathroom. She then requested a meeting with school officials.
“They just stone walled me, they said this is the decision this is what it is, if you don’t like it too bad,” she said
According to Lynne, officials gave her son the option of using the nurse’s restroom. She says her son didn’t like going to the nurse’s office because it was on the first floor, away from his classes.
“They go to school to get an education and the bathroom should be the furthest ting from their mind,” she stated.
Lynne made the decision to home school her son because she feared for his safety.
“If he was forced to use the girl’s bathroom, it would’ve outed him to the student body,” she explained.
The transgender Law Center sent a letter to Horry County Schools on Thursday saying the district’s policy of denying transgender students is ‘unlawful, discriminatory and harmful.’ The letter also referenced Title IV, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex.
“We got wars going on overseas. We got terrorism. We shouldn’t be arguing about what bathroom people are using,” said School Board Chairman Joe DeFeo.
DeFeo says the district accommodates transgender students and allows them to use the restroom of which they identify. He couldn’t comment on this specific case.
“I think they handle each case individually and however this case was handled, did not satisfy the family and the student,” he said.
DeFeo told News 13 he stands by Socastee High School’s decision on the matter.
“Up to this point, I do not have a problem with the way that everything was handled at Socastee High School, based on the information I know,” said DeFeo.
The letter says the school district must create a policy that gives transgender students access to facilities consistent with the their gender identity. If the Transgender Law Center doesn’t receive confirmation that a policy is in place by April 27, the group will evaluate all legal options.
News 13 also received a statement from Horry County Schools Spokesperson Teal Britton,
“The District maintains the privacy of all of its students. The District seeks to accommodate the individual needs of its transgender students in compliance with the law, including Title IX. We will continue our efforts to ensure a welcoming school environment for all students.”
