District leaders are collaborating with consultants from Garman Miller Architects on design of a more than $81 million project to provide classrooms in one structure on current school property along North Hyatt Street.
Proposed plans have been the focus of a number of community meetings led by Superintendent Aaron Moran. He and board of education members emphasized at Tuesday night’s meeting that the plan still is a proposal that continues to change. Moran said last month he anticipated a final proposed plan would go before the board in February.
The focus of most comments at the Jan. 21 meeting was the proposal for the single-user restrooms.
“We are exploring various restroom options designed with student privacy and safety in mind for all grade levels. This includes single-user restrooms that offer full privacy. Our goal is to ensure that every student can use the facilities comfortably, regardless of age or specific needs,” Moran said last week after concerns were posted on social media. He failed to provide a more specific definition when asked for one last week and again following the Jan. 21 meeting.
Board member Kyle Thompson called for more work on the plans, particularly the restroom design. The current concept, he said, “falls short of addressing some legitimate concerns … I ask people to remain civil as we discuss.”
District resident Karen Webber urged the board to “have a conventional as opposed to unconventional mindset” when it comes to restrooms in the new school.
For decades, most school buildings had a relatively small number of multi-person bathrooms, segregated by gender. The more recent debate over shared bathroom access for transgender students has led to arguments across the nation and lawsuits, including in Tipp City, at the neighboring Bethel school district.
The Bethel case was pending before an appeals court in November, when Ohio’s legislature and governor approved a law banning transgender students from using restrooms that align with their gender identity.
Those building new schools are weighing traditional bathroom set-ups versus an increased number of single-user bathrooms spread around the building (or a mix of both).
District resident Tyler Staas told the board he conducted an informal poll on Facebook and had 281 responses. Of those people, he said 235 did not support communal restrooms.
Former Tipp City schools board member Anne Zakkour said she questioned the many changes in the district’s building plans, to include three stories and unisex restrooms, among others. She said the lack of adherence to basic plans outlined to voters before the bond issue election raises issues of trust.
Another former board member, Corine Doll, said she is concerned that the public feedback provided by community members during input meetings is not being reflected in the proposed plans.
“What we really, really want is a safe building for our students,” she said.
Contact this contributing writer at nancykburr@aol.com
About the Author