Saskatchewan Tells Schools to Create Change Room Policies to Increase Student Privacy

A gender neutral sign is posted outside a bathrooms at Oval Park Grill in Durham, N.C., on May 11, 2016. Sara D. Davis/Getty Images

The Saskatchewan government is asking school divisions to develop school policies to govern change room usage, in response to Premier Scott Moe’s campaign promise to provide gender-specific change rooms.

School divisions have been asked to develop and implement policies on the use of change rooms to address student safety and privacy, the government announced on Jan. 23. The policies must be made publicly available.

“We want to ensure privacy, dignity, and comfort of all students,” Education Minister Everett Hindley said in a Jan. 23 news release.

“It is also important for parents/guardians to be aware of the steps being taken to ensure the comfort and safety of all students. Through our consultations, many school divisions informed us that they are in the best position to make these decisions at a local level.”

School divisions have been given until June 30 to post the policies online, and inform staff, parents, students, and the general public about the policies.

“It is government’s expectation that school divisions will develop and implement these administrative procedures in consultation with parents/guardians and students,” the news release said.

All school boards must be responsive to the constituents that elect them, the government said, noting its intention to monitor the situation to ensure local perspectives are respected during the policy creation process.

School change room policies were part of Moe’s election campaign. He said it would be the “first order of business” if his government was re-elected.

Moe backtracked on that commitment after the election, saying he misspoke. He told reporters last November that he has a “decisive personality” and sometimes speaks before thinking. He said when he made the comment, he had just heard of a complaint about two biological boys using a girls’ locker room at a Saskatchewan school.

He said the issue should wait until after the school board elections later that month. He also said the policies would need to be supportive of each child in the classroom.

Gender Policy

Moe’s government introduced legislation during its previous term that required schools to secure parental approval for students younger than 16 seeking to change their names or pronouns. It became known as the Parent’s Bill of Rights and was passed in November 2023 using the notwithstanding clause.

The policy was challenged by LGBT support group UR Pride. UR Pride called the policy discriminatory and said it violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms of students.

Moe, however, said the legislation was key to protecting parental rights.

Legal hearings on whether the UR Pride challenge can proceed through the courts wrapped up on Sept. 24. The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal has reserved its decision for a future date.