Madison County Chairman Kurt Prenzler is collecting signatures for a petition to put an advisory question of public policy on the November ballot for voters within Edwardsville School District 7 regarding the new gender neutral restrooms planned for Edwardsville High School and Lincoln Middle School.
The advisory question would read, “Shall boys and girls share the same restrooms in public schools?”
“An advisory question of public policy is just that - advisory - and not binding on the district,” Prenzler stated in a press release.
The all-gender restrooms are part of renovation plans for the high school commons area and the middle school.
The school Board voted 5 to 2 on March 25 to approve the $6.8 million renovation plans. In the high school, two traditional restrooms will be replaced with one large all-gender restroom.
Edwardsville District 7 could become the first Illinois public school district to construct an all-gender restroom in a high school or middle school.
The law was introduced by Democrat State Rep. Katie Stuart, whose husband Steve Stuart serves as Edwardsville High School Principal.
Stuart’s House Bill 1286 amended the Equitable Restrooms Act “to promote the privacy, safety and gender inclusivity of all Illinois residents and visitors.”
The bill was signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Aug. 11, 2023.
Voters were critical of Stuart’s legislation, and she responded by calling her critics “out of touch extremists.”
Stuart is up for re-election in November and will face Republican challenger Jay Keeven, who is focusing his campaign on “the concerns of my neighbors and our citizens here in Madison and St. Clair Counties.”
Prenzler encourages those interested in helping him gather petitions to email kprenzler@charter.net.