California middle school students, faculty walk out over gender policies

(The Center Square) – Southern California students and faculty staged a walkout at their middle school in protest of the Temecula Valley Unified School District’s policy that allows transgender girls in bathrooms and locker rooms.

During class on Tuesday, students, parents and faculty members at James L. Day Middle School walked out to protest against the district policy that affirms that transgender students can access bathrooms and locker rooms “consistent with a student’s gender identity.”

Since the start of the new school year, a student who identifies as female has been using the girls’ locker room, parents report.

The Board Policy 5145.31: “Religious or Mental Health-Related Accommodations” does offer girls two “outs,” which are either to file a religious-belief accommodation or a mental-health accommodation.

But parents at the protest told the California Family Council that neither option is acceptable. They don’t want to label their daughter with a mental health condition for wanting privacy or claim a religious exemption to avoid boys dressing in girls’ locker rooms, parents added. As one mom stated, “My daughter’s not anxious or sick. She just deserves a girls’ locker room.”

Those who attended the protest wore white and pink bracelets that said “Save Girls’ Sports” and held up signs.

“The students were clear,” said Sophia Lorey, outreach director of the California Family Council. “This wasn’t about attacking anyone. They want safe, private, female-only spaces to change for P.E. The boys who joined were there to stand with the girls – not to make trouble, just to say, ‘Protect girls’ spaces.’”

The Center Square reached out to Temecula’s schools superintendent, Gary Woods, for a comment, but has not received a response.

The district said in a statement that it “respects the rights of students and community members to engage in peaceful expression and assembly,” adding that California law requires that students “be allowed to participate in sex-segregated programs and have access to facilities consistent with their gender identity. Any revised proposal will take this requirement into account while addressing the concerns raised by students, parents, and the community.”

Temecula Valley school board members Jen Wiersma and Dr. Joseph Komrosky also attended the middle school walkout.

Komrosky said the district’s “mental health and religious exemption accommodations” framework is the wrong tool.

“I was elected to represent the values of the parents of my community, and the majority of our community in Temecula have traditional family values,” Komrosky said. “What’s happening at this middle school, when a biological boy enters the girls’ locker room, is anything but traditional. It’s social and political activism. I want every child to have a good and safe education. Parts of this aren’t safe, and students feel their innocence is being robbed. I will continue to fight this moral battle to defend the innocence of children and empower parents.”

TVUSD is expected to address Board Policy 5145.31 and related privacy measures at the next regular board meeting on Sept. 9.