Saskatchewan Mandates New Privacy Policies in School Changing Rooms

January 23, 2025 TruthUSA

The Saskatchewan government is requesting school divisions to create policies governing change room usage, in line with Premier Scott Moe’s pledge for gender-specific change rooms.

School divisions have been instructed to establish and enforce policies regarding the utilization of change rooms to ensure student safety and privacy, as announced by the government on Jan. 23. These policies must be publicly accessible.

“We aim to safeguard the privacy, dignity, and comfort of all students,” stated Education Minister Everett Hindley in a press release on Jan. 23.

“It is vital for parents/guardians to be informed about the measures taken to ensure the comfort and safety of all students. Many school divisions have expressed that they are best equipped to make these decisions at a local level through our consultations.”

School divisions are required to publish these policies online by June 30 and inform staff, parents, students, and the public about them.

The press release stated, “The government expects that school divisions will develop and implement these administrative procedures in consultation with parents/guardians and students.”

All school boards must consider the views of their electorate, and the government will oversee the process to ensure local input is respected during policy development.

Change room policies in schools were part of Moe’s election platform, with plans to prioritize them if re-elected.

Moe retracted this commitment post-election, citing a mistake in his previous statement. He acknowledged his impulsive nature and stated that he spoke without considering the consequences. He mentioned a recent incident involving two boys using a girls’ locker room in a Saskatchewan school as a reason to delay the policy implementation until after school board elections later that month. He emphasized that the policies should be supportive of each student in the classroom.

Gender Policy

Moe’s government passed legislation in its previous term that mandated parental consent for students under 16 who wish to change their names or pronouns. This legislation, known as the Parent’s Bill of Rights, was enacted in November 2023 using the notwithstanding clause.

The policy faced opposition from an LGBT support group called UR Pride, which deemed it discriminatory and a violation of students’ rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

However, Moe defended the legislation, stating it was crucial for protecting parental rights.

Legal proceedings regarding the UR Pride challenge concluded on Sept. 24. The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal will announce its decision at a later date.

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