MULTI-GENDER BATHROOM? Parents Outraged Over Virginia High School's New Layout

When students return to Christiansburg High School for classes on 
Wednesday, they’ll find at least one large “open plan” gender-neutral and 
multiple-stall bathroom.

Parents are raising the alarm.

“I would have been mortified at that age,” Alecia Vaught, 49, who has two 
grandchildren at the southwestern Virginia school, told The Daily Signal 
about the bathroom situation.

The Daily Signal depends on the support of readers like you. Donate now

The Daily Signal obtained photos of signs with symbols depicting a woman, 
a man, a half-man/half-woman, and a wheelchair. While the individual 
stalls have higher walls to increase privacy, the gender-neutral open 
concept means that teen boys and girls will share a handwashing space in 
view from the hallway.

While the architect in charge of the renovation plans defended the open 
bathroom as an attempt to prevent bullying and certain illicit activities, 
parents raised privacy concerns.

A Facebook user posted a photo of the bathroom in a Christiansburg High 
School Alumni group.

When approached for comment, the school district did not deny the gender-
neutral sign in the photo or clarify the policy. Instead, Andrew Webb, 
communications coordinator at Montgomery County Public Schools, sent a 
photo of a sign that said “Gold Restroom.”

Problems With the Bathroom
Vaught, the grandmother, mentioned that teenage girls who are experiencing 
their first periods would find it extremely embarrassing to share an open 
space with boys.

“Could you imagine just starting [your period] for the first time and not 
being able to get what you need?” she asked.

Vaught also noted that while the stalls may hide girls from view, they 
would not block out sounds.

“How would you feel coming out of the stall, washing your hands, and 
having to look at the boy or man who just heard you and is now right 
beside you at the sink? That is NOT OK!” she said.

Such a plan would amount to “the complete invasion of privacy of our 
girls,” who “need to have a safe space they can go to pull themselves 
together if they’re stressed out, emotional, or upset. They need privacy 
to conduct their business or ask other girls for tampons or pads, and to 
be able to check their faces or fix their makeup in the mirror.”

“School is stressful enough for teenagers, and young girls shouldn’t have 
to worry about boys and men watching them in their private spaces,” Vaught 
added.

She predicted that the open model would lead to increased bullying, 
especially if “someone sees period blood on another students’ clothing.”

“How could any of that not scar young girls for life?”

Another parent who spoke on condition of anonymity echoed Vaught’s 
concerns about privacy during the girls’ periods. She also noted that “for 
ones who already have experienced trauma at the hands of a boy, they will 
potentially be reliving that trauma every time they’re in the bathroom.”

The Open Plan Bathrooms
Josh Bower, principal at Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates, explained the 
concept in a June 6, 2023, meeting for the Montgomery County School Board.

“We are showing that the toilet rooms for the student use are all going to 
be open plan,” he said. “The goal of the open plan is to reduce bullying.”

“The bathroom is the highest level of anxiety a student has,” Bower added. 
“They don’t want to go to the restroom because of some of the nonsense 
that happens in there. When you’re doing your most private activities, the 
stalls go from floor to ceiling and they are completely private when you 
are doing your most private activities.”

He presented a floor plan of the bathrooms, noting that the plan aims to 
reduce bullying, smoking, vaping, destruction, and vandalism.

“Students should have access to facilities such as bathrooms and locker 
rooms that correspond with their consistently asserted gender identity or 
expression,” states the board’s official policy, adopted in August 2021. 
“Upon request, a single-user, gender-inclusive facility, or other non-
stigmatizing alternatives should be made available to any student who 
seeks privacy.”

The school district did not respond to The Daily Signal’s inquiry as to 
whether Christiansburg offers sex-segregated restrooms as an option for 
students seeking privacy.

Federal Action on Bathrooms
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights found last 
month that five Northern Virginia school districts violated Title IX of 
the Education Amendments of 1972, a law banning discrimination on the 
basis of sex in education. The office found that Alexandria City Public 
Schools, Arlington Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools, Loudoun 
County Public Schools, and Prince William County Public Schools violated 
the law by applying policies allowing boys and men to enter women’s 
spaces, if the boys and men claim a female gender identity.

“It’s time for Northern Virginia’s experiment with radical gender ideology 
and unlawful discrimination to come to an end,” acting Assistant Secretary 
for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said in a statement on the finding. “The 
Trump administration will not sacrifice the safety, dignity, and innocence 
of America’s young women and girls at the altar of an anti-scientific 
illiberalism.”

The Virginia Department of Education told The Daily Signal that local 
school divisions “set their own policies and procedures with their 
governing boards.” The state body cited the Office for Civil Rights’ 
actions, adding, “We trust all divisions in Virginia are reviewing local 
policies—including bathroom and locker room policies—to ensure alignment 
to Title IX and maintaining safe educational environments free from 
discrimination.”

https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/08/12/boys-girls-share-gender-neutral-
open-bathroom-virginia-high-school/