Georgia schools wrestle with transgender restrooms

PICKENS COUNTY, Ga. (WXIA/NBC News) – Hundreds of parents gathered in Pickens County, Georgia Monday and spent more than three hours discussing a proposed school district policy that would allow transgender students to use the bathroom of the sex they identify with.

A majority of parents opposed the proposal, and Superintendent Carlton Wilson heard calls for him to toss out the proposal or resign. Wilson said he is weighing concerns from parents and legal advice.

“I’ve been told by legal counsel, several different legal counsels, upon receiving a lawsuit, that we will lose that lawsuit and it will cost anywhere from several thousand dollars up to a million dollars, depending on how big of a lawsuit and how long it lasts,” he said.

Currently, students in Pickens County who identify as transgender can use a gender-neutral bathroom until an official school district policy is in place. The rights of transgender students have been argued in courts in several states – and an upcoming hearing on a case out of Florida could impact what happens in Georgia schools.