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ST. CHARLES COUNTY — A member of the Francis Howell School Board will introduce a policy Thursday that bans transgender students from using bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity.

Under the policy, students could only use bathrooms and locker rooms that match the sex on their birth certificates. Each school must have separate facilities for boys and girls and provide at least one single-user bathroom for any student to use.

Jane Puszkar of the board’s conservative majority proposed the policy, which is also supported by the political action committee Francis Howell Families. The board is expected to vote on the policy in November.

“It restores sanity and safety — and removes uncertainty — for students, staff, and parents on the use of locker rooms and restrooms,� reads the Francis Howell Families . “ALL students can be their authentic selves without being intimidated, embarrassed, or confused about the simple act of using a bathroom or locker room. What a breath of fresh air to have a Board that puts an end to the bathroom confusion and anxiety that we all have experienced these last few years!�

But supporters of another political action committee, Francis Howell Forward, say the policy only adds confusion by not including details about compliance or enforcement.

“It has no purpose but to toss it out there and see how much fear we can create in the community and slap another target on trans kids,� said Christine Hyman, parent of a transgender son and a daughter who attends Francis Howell North High. “They could be working on more pertinent issues that matter to the kids. This policy does not matter; it serves no purpose other than to harm a specific subset of people.�

Most local school districts do not have a bathroom policy related to gender but do provide single-user bathrooms for students. The Hazelwood School District adopted a policy in 2016 that allows transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms “that conform with the student’s gender identity.â€� The charter school Lafayette Prep Academy in ºüÀêÊÓƵ also has a policy that lets transgender students use the bathroom of their choice.

State Sen. Nick Schroer, R-Defiance, in September posted a letter co-signed by other St. Charles County lawmakers urging school districts to approve bathroom policies aligned with students’ sex at birth. The move came after a new state law went into effect Aug. 28 banning minors from starting gender-affirming medical care.

The Wentzville School Board reviewed a policy earlier this month that would require students to use a single-user bathroom or a multi-user bathroom that matches their sex, defined as an “individual’s reproductive biology at birth and the individual’s genome.� Prior to the meeting, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey sued the Wentzville board over claims the district illegally met in closed session to discuss bathroom and locker room policies for transgender students.

There are also lawsuits pending nationwide against school districts that have enacted restrictive bathroom rules.

In July, the ACLU of Missouri filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Platte County School District for suspending a transgender girl for using the girls’ bathroom at Platte County High School. The school’s gender-neutral bathroom was far from the girl’s classes, and she was threatened with rape by another student in the boys’ bathroom, the suit claims.

“Forcing transgender students to use the bathroom or locker room that matches their sex designated at birth is not only discrimination but dangerous and causes serious harm to Missouri’s youth,� said Gillian Wilcox, deputy director of litigation at the ACLU of Missouri, in a statement.

Maplewood Richmond Heights School District has recently installed gender-neutral restrooms at the recommendation of a facilities committee. The bathrooms, featuring floor-to-ceiling doors on individual toilet stalls and an open row of sinks, are both time-saving and inclusive, said Superintendent Bonita Jamison.

There has been minimal pushback from the community, staff, parents or students, Jamison said.

“Students are fine, they go in and out, it’s not an issue,� she said. “It’s a step toward gender equity for us, and it acknowledges that everyone deserves equal access to facilities. It aligns to our core values where kids have a sense of belonging.�