Family Heritage Alliance is working to protect student privacy through vital legislation – HB1005. As progressive gender ideology continues to infiltrate schools, it’s crucial that we implement statewide protections for locker rooms, restrooms, and overnight accommodations.

In 2016, we were able to pass a bill to address this issue through the legislature, but it was vetoed by Governor Daugaard. We are hopeful that we will be able to pass a law again in 2022 to safeguard student privacy.

A new policy implemented by a local school district demonstrates the very need for this legislation, too.

The Vermillion school district recently passed a dangerous policy allowing transgender students to use the bathroom that corresponds with the gender they “identify” as. This means that boys can easily use the girls’ bathroom, violating their privacy and opening the door for inappropriate and dangerous situations. Now parents and students are outraged and ready to take action. This type of policy is exactly what led to the horrific assaults on teenage students in Loudoun County, Virginia.

“We need to protect all children from possible harm both emotionally and physically. We can disagree with someone and still love and care for them,” commented one Vermillion dad.

The House of Representatives voted yesterday to approve HB 1005. The bill would require schools to designate “any multi-occupancy shower room, changing room, or rest room, located in a public school, for use exclusively by members of the same sex.” The same rule would apply to sleeping accommodations at events held or sponsored by the school.

The bill defines sex as “a person’s immutable, biological sex, as determined by the person’s genetics and anatomy existing at the time of the person’s birth.”

Representative Jon Hansen supported the bill saying, “Boys should use boys bathrooms and girls should use girls bathrooms. To me it’s just completely obvious.”

Hansen is right. This law is common sense and it must be passed to protect our children, and especially young girls.

Further, other districts may follow Vermillion in adopting its dangerous bathroom policy, and only a statewide law would prevent them from doing so. We can no longer trust our school administrators to protect our children, so we must do so through legislation.

Family Heritage Alliance spoke with parents and families recently about HB 1005. Here’s what one student had to say:

“My name is Clare Dahlhoff. I am a senior at Vermillion High school, and I will be graduating this year. Even though I will be leaving, I will still have siblings and friends that will be in the Vermillion school district for several more years. With the new policy at Vermillion High School, I worry about their privacy being protected. There are already private bathrooms that anyone can use, and I think that is sufficient. I know that I might get backlash from other people, but I am sincerely asking that you pass this bill.”

“If this can happen in Vermillion, it can happen anywhere. Please vote to protect the rights and safety of students all across our state and vote yes to HB1005,” said the mom of a student in the Vermillion school district.

We must not allow our legislators to prioritize nonsensical gender ideology over the safety and privacy rights of students.