A Pennsylvania middle school installed a window in its gender-inclusive restroom, making its interior visible from the school hallway. The window was constructed at Emory H. Markle Middle School in Hanover, Pennsylvania, which is roughly 5 miles north of the Maryland border.
Gender-inclusive bathrooms are commonly used by transgender and nonbinary people for privacy and safety reasons. Matthew Gelazela, the board president of the South Western School District, said the district decided to add the window as it “engages in renovating multiuser restroom facilities.” “It has an interest in opening a view into the non-private area of those facilities in similar fashion to what has existed for years in our elementary schools,” Gelazela said in a statement to NBC affiliate WGAL in Lancaster.
“In making the area outside of stalls more viewable, we are better able to monitor for a multitude of prohibited activities such as any possible vaping, drug use, bullying or absenteeism.” Gelazela added that the window does not provide a “view into those private stall spaces from outside of the restrooms.” The district did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for additional comment.
The window installation raised concerns among some of the students’ parents , who said windows were not added to the school’s single-sex multiuser restrooms. Jennifer Holahan, whose son attends school in the district , said the new window is a “deterrent” to keep students from using.
