Rapid City Area Schools Board of Education passed a group of items including restrictions for bathroom access and redefining protected categories in harassment and discrimination definitions Tuesday night.
Members of the opposite sex will not be permitted to enter bathrooms, changing rooms, or locker rooms in Rapid City’s public schools going forward. This follows the provisions set by a house bill signed into law by South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden in March.
In addition, sexual orientation will no longer be a basis in discrimination or harassment cases in the schools.
The board voted three to one in favor of approving these items, with Michael Birkeland being the lone ‘no’ vote.
These are policies that are not necessarily coming from us,” Birkeland said. “They are because of state and federal funding, and I would never want us to lose that. However, I cannot vote to remove sexual orientation from a protective class as a gay man.”
Birkeland will cede his seat to Angela Bradsky Rafferty next month.
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