School board reverses decision to install 'viewing window' in kids restroom

A conservative Pennsylvania school board has reversed course and boarded up the viewing window installed at a local middle school.

South Western School District Superintendent Jay Burkhart told the Associated Press that the change was made at Emory H. Markle Middle School on advice from the conservative Independence Law Center. The decision follows criticism from across the country, including the ACLU and Sen. John Fetterman.

Conservative candidates took control of the school district board after a November 2023 election. Their move to install the window came as Republicans, led by Donald Trump, continue to wage a vicious campaign against transgender people.

A concerned parent released photos of the viewing window under construction at the middle school in Hanover, Pennsylvania, to the media.

“It just raised a ton of concerns for me, privacy concerns, safety concerns, concerns for the kids who need those facilities. I felt like it was a deterrent to keep them from using them,” Jennifer Holahan, the mother of a child who attends the school, told local station WGAL.