Female students raised concerns about school washroom policy

Lampman School is located in Lampman, Saskatchewan, approximately 40 kilometres east of Estevan.

Concerns arose after a 17-year-old trans-identifying male student was permitted to use the girls’ multi-stall washroom. Several female students said this left them feeling unsafe, uncomfortable, and reluctant to use the school’s washrooms.

Several students submitted written impact statements describing how the situation affected them. One 13-year-old girl said, “I feel scared that [name omitted] is in there and could try looking over the stalls. This has now caused me trauma and [I] have lost trust in my school.”

Another student, aged 16, wrote, “All students deserve to feel secure when using bathrooms and other shared spaces, without fear of being watched or threatened.”

Mother asked school division to protect girls’ privacy

Lampman mother Tawney Johnson asked the South East Cornerstone Public School Division to adopt policies protecting the privacy, dignity, and safety of female students in school washrooms.

After the school division indicated that it could not prevent the trans-identifying male student from using the girls’ washroom, Ms. Johnson asked lawyers funded by the Justice Centre to intervene on her behalf.

Ms. Johnson also wrote to Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, the Minister of Education, and other political leaders. She urged them to protect female students’ privacy and safety.

“I am aware that most parents that have voiced their disapproval of the current situation involving the privacy and safety of their female children have all received a blanket response from the school division that there is nothing that can be done,” Ms. Johnson explained.

Legal letter argued girls’ Charter rights were being violated

Lawyers funded by the Justice Centre sent a legal warning letter to the school division in May 2026.

The letter argued that the school division had the legal authority to reserve girls’ washrooms for female students. Subsection 12(2) of Saskatchewan’s Human Rights Code permits separate accommodation based on sex where it is necessary for public decency.

The letter further argued that allowing a trans-identifying male student to use the girls’ multi-stall washroom violated female students’ rights to security of the person, privacy, and equality under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The letter asked the school division to adopt policies reserving female washrooms for female students and protecting their privacy, dignity, safety, and equality rights.

Constitutional lawyer Allison Pejovic said, “Schools are expected to provide safe environments for their students. Girls should not have to endure a full school day fearful that a biological male student will be in the washroom with them. It is an invasion of girls’ privacy and is causing immense mental harm.”

Ms. Pejovic continued, “Female students’ rights to safe spaces such as girls’ washrooms do not disappear simply because a biological male transgender student wants to use them too.”

School division created additional gender-neutral washrooms

On June 15, 2026, the school division responded that its schools provided male, female, and gender-neutral washrooms. It also advised that three additional single-stall, gender-neutral washrooms had been created at Lampman School, bringing the total to four.

The response did not clarify whether trans-identifying male students would continue to be permitted to use the girls’ multi-stall washroom.

On June 22, lawyers funded by the Justice Centre wrote again and asked the school division to answer three questions:

• Would male students who identified as female be permitted to use girls’ multi-stall washrooms during the 2026–27 school year?
• If so, how would the school division protect female students using those washrooms?
• Would the four single-stall, gender-neutral washrooms be available to both male and female students?

The letter also addressed the school division’s June 2025 Gender Sexual Diversity policy. That policy stated that students could use the gendered changeroom corresponding to their gender identity and that male, female, and gender-neutral changing spaces would be provided.

The lawyers argued that Saskatchewan’s human rights legislation did not require the school division to permit students to use changerooms based on gender identity. They also noted that the policy dealt with changerooms but did not set out rules governing washrooms.

School division declined to give a direct answer

After receiving no response for more than two months, Ms. Pejovic wrote to the school division again on August 28. She said the questions had become increasingly urgent because the 2026–27 school year was about to begin and asked for an immediate response.

The school division replied on September 8. It said that students’ access to washrooms was managed case by case, in accordance with human rights and privacy laws and with consideration for student safety, dignity, and well-being.

It confirmed that male, female, and gender-neutral washrooms were available and that any student could choose to use the single-stall, gender-neutral facilities.

The school division also said that school administrators would review specific safety or conduct concerns through the appropriate school processes.

However, it did not directly answer whether trans-identifying male students would be permitted to use girls’ multi-stall washrooms. It also did not explain what measures would protect female students when sharing those facilities with a trans-identifying male student.