Schools mull changes as ‘Bathroom Bill' goes into effect
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Senate Bill 104, known as the Bathroom Bill, is set to become law in Ohio on Feb. 25.
Some school districts will have to change their policies to comply with the law, which states that people can only use the bathroom of the gender they were assigned at birth when in school buildings.
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Any policy that goes against the law will have to be changed or school districts could face legal action from the Ohio attorney general.
Many central Ohio districts, like Bexley and Upper Arlington, have already made the changes to comply with the law.
'At a minimum, we're talking about signage changes; at a maximum, we may be talking about some schools having to change their physical facilities,' Morgan Masters, an attorney and co-owner of Albeit Masters Law Firm in Columbus, said.
Columbus City Schools' Board of Education has a gender-affirming policy, allowing students to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity. The school board has not yet decided whether it will change the policy.
'The choice for Columbus City Schools and other boards of education who have not adopted a policy yet is to either adopt a policy that complies with the law, that may just be an amendment, or to take their chances and see what the repercussions are,' attorney Mark Weiker, a managing partner at Abdnour Weiker Law Firm in Columbus, said.
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Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has threatened legal action if Columbus schools does not change its current policy.
'It's hard to say what the attorney general is contemplating but I would imagine a lawsuit, a request for injunction, something of that nature to force the districts who don't comply to comply,' Weiker said.
Both Weiker and Masters said school boards will most likely be having discussions about the impact of the bill on students, parents and staff.
'I think most of them realize that they don't really have a choice in adopting a policy that complies with the law, but they do have a choice in they still control the culture that they create within the district and that's important,' Weiker said.
'In the short term, they're going to see transgender students likely being allowed to use faculty facilities because Senate Bill 104 does not prohibit that,' Masters said.
Columbus City Schools has a board meeting on Tuesday where the board will likely decide whether to change the policy or face potential legal consequences.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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