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- Sen. Jen Plumb's bill, SB105, would ensure student privacy in Utah schools.
- The bill mandates private changing spaces for students, addressing concerns about modesty and privacy.
- Stakeholders, including students and experts, support the bill, citing discomfort with current practices.
SALT LAKE CITY — A bill meant to ensure privacy and modesty for students in the public education system advanced through the state Senate Education Committee on Friday.
SB105, sponsored by Sen. Jen Plumb, D-Salt Lake City, would require schools to provide a private place for students to change, when having to change for PE classes, sports teams or other school activities.
Plumb said this bill is something she started working on last year, and since then she continued to work with stakeholders. She has also talked to children about what they feel their right to privacy in school should be.
"I value my modesty and prefer to keep private things private," said Rachel Williams, a 16-year-old girl who spoke during the bill's committee hearing.
In her presentation to the committee, the senator reflected on when she was on the dance company in high school and would change in an open area with her teammates, with coaches and teachers and other adults sometimes walking through the area.
"It's bothersome; it still bothers me now," Plumb said. "I don't know why we do this to our kids."
She also pointed out that now people have cellphones, and they can easily take photos in these situations.
"I have never met an adolescent who is totally comfortable with their own body," said Bill Cosgrow, a retired pediatrician who spoke in favor of the bill.
The bill establishes an expectation of privacy that says students are entitled to privacy and modesty in the public education system, and they do not have to be in front of others while in states of nudity or undressing.
The bill would prohibit local education agencies, or LEAs, from requiring students to undress in front of others, either in restrooms or changing facilities.
The LEAs can comply with these regulations by offering a variety of privacy options. These privacy options include single-occupant facilities, floor-to-ceiling partitions or curtains. There is not mandate on what specific privacy measure should be used, just that privacy is expected.
"Let's maybe put our money a little bit where our mouth is, that we do value privacy for all of our kiddos and that we value the dignity that comes along with deciding who and when someone sees you without clothing on and make it a priority for our kids," Plumb said.
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Caitlin Keith
