Parents outraged as high school REMOVES toilet doors to create ‘gender neutral bathrooms & ease anxiety’
PARENTS have been left outraged after a high school removed toilet doors to create "non gendered" bathrooms in a bid to "ease anxiety".
They were sent a letter by Golden Grove High School in Adelaide, Australia, informing them of the changes to the facilities.
The school got rid of the outer doors from the bathrooms in hopes of providing "greater safety" for students when using stalls.
However, the revamp - part of a $15million redevelopment project - has caused some controversy among parents.
Pictures show the bathrooms with the outer doors removed - but both still have "boys only" and "girls only" signs above the entranceways.
School bosses have said they removed the doors so the old bathrooms would match the new "non-gendered" facilitates.
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The letter, from Principal Peter Kuss, explained: "The health, safety and wellbeing of all young people is important to us.
"We understand that accessing toilet facilities whilst at school can cause anxiety for some students.
"The guidelines for the provision of student toilets has evolved over time."
And to keep in line with the new standards and renovation, Mr Kuss explained the toilets would now be more accessible for all pupils.
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He explained: "This included providing lockable, non-gendered, individual cubicles, with handwashing included inside the cubicle, accessed directly from common spaces or open corridors."
The secondary school is "taking the steps to modify the design of the existing toilet blocks so they mimic as much as possible the look and feel of the toilet facilities in the new buildings".
To do so, the outer doors leading into the bathrooms have been removed.
Mr Kuss said he hopes the move will "provide greater safety for student usage" and "closely align" the existing toilets with new standards.
But not all parents have welcomed the news, according to .
One mother complained her children "no longer feel safe and feel their privacy has been compromised."
She continued: "The cubicles on some of the toilets can be seen by students and teachers walking past.
"I've had other parents tell me their kids will not use the toilets either."
Another claimed their child doesn't use the bathrooms and protested that students already "hold off going to the toilet all day".
But an Education Department spokesperson insisted that the school's toilets are adequately private.
They said: "Students' privacy isn't compromised.
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"All the cubicles have lockable doors and only hand washing areas are visible from hallways or foyers."
The spokesperson also confirmed doors had been removed from eight older facilities.
