OPS Board Means Well, Misses the Mark at the Expense of Privacy Rights

by | Jul 25, 2016 | Gender Identity

Across the country, well-meaning legislatures, city councils, and school boards are attempting to add Gender Identity and Gender Expression to Nondiscrimination policies, including Omaha Public Schools (OPS).

At their most recent board meeting, OPS discussed an update to their Nondiscrimination Policy. Their amended policy includes Gender Identity and Gender Expression, among other things.

As Lacey Merica, District 8 representative on the Omaha Public School Board said in the July 18, 2016 meeting, “We are really focused on making sure that we are providing a safe environment for all of our students and staff.”

Unfortunately, in an effort to accommodate a small number of students with unique needs, OPS compromises the privacy and safety rights of all students.

In practice, these policies can result in students having access to sex-specific areas and activities, such as bathrooms and locker rooms, without regard to their biological sex. i.e. boys in girls locker rooms, playing on girls basketball teams, and vice versa.

Alliance Defending Freedom attorney, Jeremy Tedesco stated clearly: “[T]he right to privacy in one’s unclothed or partially unclothed body is deeply rooted in our nation’s history and traditions.” But adding Gender Identity and Gender Expression to a nondiscrimination policy provides an on-ramp to force students to change clothes in the presence of the opposite sex at school on a daily basis.

Schools should craft policies that are both respectful of the privacy concerns of all children and sensitive to the diverse needs of individual children.

Omaha Public School Board members may vote on this as early as their next meeting which is Monday, August 15th at 6:30pm. If you live in Omaha or are the parent of a student in OPS and are interested in making public comments that evening contact us at info@nebraskafamilyalliance.org.

Hallie Hamilton

Hallie Hamilton

Hallie is the former Communication Director of Nebraska Family Alliance. She likes her coffee black, her bike-rides long, and her books epic.