I was accused of defying the ‘woke’ school of sons by removing urinals for ‘gender neutral toilets’

A father of four says he was taken to court for challenging what he believes are ‘wake-up practices’ at his children’s fee-paying boarding school and now faces criminal conviction.

Martin Howard, 39, says urinals were removed from all boys’ toilets at Sexey’s School in Bruton, Somerset, last summer, leaving just four cubicles for 300 boys, in what he believes is a move to create toilets. gender free.

Mr Howard, whose children aged 15 and 12 are students, wrote to the principal repeatedly to complain about the toilets and what he calls other “extremist actions” which he says include rainbow flags in classrooms. , inappropriate quizzes about Year 7 sexual activity and an assembly comparing all men to controversial influencer Andrew Tate.

It comes as the long-awaited government guide to schools is imminently released amid growing debate over transgender issues. It is expected to say that pupils should not be allowed to use facilities designed for the opposite sex, but advice on ‘gender-neutral’ toilets is still unclear.

After believing his requests for clarification about why the urinals and exterior doors to the bathrooms were not properly addressed, Mr. Howard went to the school to gather evidence last November.

Video recorded on Mr. Howard’s phone shows him visiting four bathrooms after school and told to leave by teachers; Several months later, two policemen came to his home and ordered him to go to the police station for questioning, where they later charged him with causing a disturbance or disturbance on school grounds.

Mr Howard says urinals were removed from all boys’ toilets at Sexey’s School (pictured) in Bruton, Somerset, last summer, leaving just four cubicles for 300 boys, which he believes is a move to create gender free bathrooms.

Mr Howard, from Shepton Mallet, Somerset, says he was banned from school for three months.

Appearing before Taunton Magistrates Court on Wednesday to represent himself, he pleaded not guilty, describing the whole process as a “waste of my and the court’s time”.

He added: “As a parent, I have an implicit right of access to the school.”

But Magistrate Angela Brereton said: ‘The only problem is whether you were disturbing or creating a disturbance.

‘I’m not sure he’s allowed to record videos in the toilets. What if there were students present?’

He was released on unconditional bail but faces trial in November. If he is found guilty, he will have a criminal record and a fine of up to £500.

Her case comes as women’s rights activists, including author JK Rowling, are desperately trying to prevent public bodies and businesses from replacing separate male and female toilets with gender-neutral toilets in an attempt to be more welcoming to trans people.

From the National Trust to UK theaters and even the Houses of Parliament, proposals to install gender-neutral toilets have been criticized as arousing and dangerous.

In May, parents at Walsall Academy, near Wolverhampton, feared new gender-neutral toilets would leave 11-year-olds sharing bathrooms with 18-year-olds of the opposite sex.

There were reports of students recording each other in the toilets, while teenage girls refused to drink water because they were forced to wait until they returned home before relieving themselves.

Meanwhile, late last month, The Telegraph reported that a teenager was reportedly arrested on allegations that female students were sexually assaulted in the gender-neutral toilets at another secondary school in Essex.

Mr Howard, from Shepton Mallet, Somerset, says he was banned from school for three months.

The Essex school reportedly has a number of gendered toilets for either boys or girls to use, as well as a set of ‘open suite’ cubicles that can be used by either gender.

Speaking after his court case, Mr Howard said: ‘I’m surprised it’s gotten this far.

“The school doesn’t want parents finding out what they’ve done or challenging their wake-up policies.

‘I tried to raise my concerns, but the principal ignored these concerns as she continues to politicize her education policies and the environment towards her far-left ideologies.

‘It’s not a good experience to be charged and I will write to the school demanding compensation.’

Section 547 of the Education Act 1996 makes it a criminal offense for a person on school premises without legal authorization to cause or allow a nuisance or disturbance. Trespassing itself does not constitute a criminal offence.

To have committed a criminal offence, an abusive person must have been denied access to the premises or exceeded their ‘implied licence’, and then also caused a nuisance or disturbance.

Earlier this year Ofsted rated the Sexey school “good” in all areas in an inspection, four years after it was judged “inadequate”. The inspectors found that the pupils are ‘happy and safe’, ‘educated’ and ‘thriving’ there.

Sexey’s, a state-run boarding school for boys and girls aged 11-18 which charges fees of up to £13,000 per year, has been contacted for comment.