A partially selective school’s decision to convert a girls’ toilet into a unisex toilet block has left parents worried after a reported “behavioural incident”.
Prestigious co-educational secondary school Brisbane State recently converted its P block of female-only toilets to accommodate both sexes.
The male students have since been accused of bullying female classmates outside the unisex block and urinating on toilet seats and sanitary bins, police said. mail reported.
The decision to change gender restrictions in bathrooms is required by the state Department of Education and the Queensland Human Rights Commission.
The commission has mandated that schools have a specific proportion of unisex and gender-specific bathrooms.
A prestigious co-educational school, Brisbane State High School (pictured), has been criticized for suddenly changing some girls’ toilets to unisex this week.
An email notifying parents of the change said the bathrooms “are now a shared space and should be treated with respect by all students who use the facilities.”
One parent said female students were no longer going into the bathrooms.
“There are boys using those cubicles that were originally for girls and urinating everywhere, even in the sanitary bins of those limited cubicles that now have them,” they told the Courier Mail.
“It’s creating a very negative experience for the girls at the school.”
The parent added that they did not have a problem with the “need to address diversity,” but rather with the lack of consultation with parents before making the change.
Another parent told the publication they were okay with the lack of consultation, as it didn’t give “naysayers” time to delay the change.
“I think it’s a good idea as it provides neutral facilities for those students who are non-binary,” the parent said.
Parents have claimed female students are now afraid to enter the unisex block after students urinated on toilet seats and sanitary bins (file image)
A Department for Education spokesperson said they are “committed to providing inclusive facilities to respect and value diversity”.
‘The introduction of this term of an exclusively unisex healthcare facility is available to anyone who wishes to use it.
‘The school continues to offer separate toilet services for girls and boys on both campuses. Sanitary containers have not been removed from school bathrooms.’
The spokesperson said the school is aware of an incident that “occurred near, not in, a school bathroom” and that it has been dealt with in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct.
They added that “allegations that male students bullied girls or urinated on toilet seats and sanitary containers in this bathroom are unfounded.”
“The school takes all parental complaints seriously and deals with them as they arise.”