The front doors of West Albany High, closed like all schools for summer vacation, on June 27.
Other than minor repairs, the $62 million expansion and remodeling of West Albany High School was completed last year. But one new project has been added to the job: converting two newly built restrooms, one for boys and the other for girls, into four restrooms that anyone — regardless of gender–can use.
Perusing the agenda packet of a school board meeting this past spring, I chanced across this: “Design work for the gender-neutral restrooms continues with the final design due at the end of April.”
A brand new school and they were still designing restrooms? That’s what I was wondering.
The bathrooms at issue are in the hallway outside the gym, a short walk from the new front doors. At the end of the school year earlier this month, West Principal Susie Orsborn showed them to me. The doors to these new rooms had been taped shut because, Orsborn said, they were not right.
For one thing, we’ve all read about court fights elsewhere about who can use restrooms labeled by sex. Who needs a controversy like that?
And then, each of these two rooms was built with two toilet stalls, with big gaps above and below the dividers. In the age of social media and smart phones in the hands of some teenagers with, shall we say a certain lack of maturity, this is not considered wise.
What should have been built instead, in the words of school district spokeswoman Michelle Steinhebel, were “four single separate bathroom areas” with individual doors and one toilet each. That’s what will be built now.
The school board authorized the conversion during the 2020-21 school year. At the time the cost estimate was about $80,000.
Now, the contract for the conversion has been awarded to Triplet Wellman, an Oregon contractor with many school and college projects, for $149,000. David McKay of HMK, the firm overseeing Albany’s entire bond-financed school construction program over the last few years, said the total cost estimate for the conversion is $160,000.
The restroom reconstruction is supposed to be done over the summer. By the time school resumes, those four individualized and non-sex-specific restrooms should be ready. And the “boys” and “girls” signs in the hallway will be gone. (hh)
This door and the one for girls were taped shut during the school year.
Inside one of the two restrooms that will be turned into four single ones.
If high school wasn’t already fraught with tension enough, they’ve gone and added even more to the mix. I fail to see how this improves the situation …and all to appease a miniscule segment of social activists. Wow.
I have no problem if these are single-occupancy bathrooms with door locks. This type of gender-neutral bathroom has been around for years.
But multi-stall bathrooms and/or locker rooms being gender neutral? In a school?
That would be intentionally putting children at a much greater risk of sexual assault.
At some point common sense has to recognize that the male/female binary is NOT a socially constructed fiction.
“I have no problem if these are single-occupancy bathrooms with door locks. This type of gender-neutral bathroom has been around for years.”
True – and everyone could stop reading the balance of your post because of what Hasso wrote:
“‘What should have been built instead, in the words of school district spokeswoman Michelle Steinhebel, were “four single separate bathroom areas” with individual doors and one toilet each. That’s what will be built now.'”
GS
I suggest that reread HH’s post.
Just a note of reality–all the ugly, non-traditional constructs seen at the national big city
level are present in our local schools and are fostered by national teacher’s unions.
I have written letters to the newspaper about the practice of social “grooming” in the school system, again advocated by teacher’s unions–the ADH refuses to publish.
Silent, aware adults need to push elected, school board members to stop the woke mob and just say no. Thanks HH for surfacing the issue and noting we don’t need this controversy. Public education is run amuk–not a good choice to send our children
It’s amazing how long and prosperous this country has lasted without all of these new “socially correct” issues.
Hasso, Are these restrooms single occupancy with a lock??
As I understand it, yes.
He, She, or It-your choice..Biology trumps liberal feelings!
Yep, we teachers…always using our NEA ties to foster big city mores onto our local kids. Kept me up nights, plotting the next shocking move while grading my students’ essays.
Hi Kay your tongue-in-cheek comment is appreciated. Certainly there are sincere, dedicated teachers who do not participate in the practices of many woke advocates. Thank you for your continuing, well balanced work with students. If you have opportunity to influence for traditional values, I hope you will. thanks again.
I am so glad to see this happening in Albany
I sure hope you’re being sarcastic
I’m proud to be a naturally born “pointer” and can just “go” where & when I want! Inside, outside, beside. At my age, there is no waiting when the “holding tank” alarm goes off. Hey, it’s just water…!
Eat pumpkin seeds. It works.
“‘Natural Born Pointer'”. Nice one Engel. I cannot believe that made it past the censor!!!
Now put it away. Nobody wants to see it.
Carry on. Nothing to see here! No go go …..
All these “comments” have one thing in common: nobody contributing to this dumbing-down of discourse has any real skin in the game. Most of these comments fall into the category of self-hating deflection designed to hide fear and self-loathing based on ignorance. Nothing new here to see folks. Just go back to your homes.