HB 1522 -Gender Identity and Accomodations in Schools

House Bill 1522

Relating to gender identity and accommodations in schools

Prohibits a government entity from adopting a policy requiring an employee to:
- Use an individual's preferred pronoun when addressing or mentioning the individual in work-related communications; or
- Designate the employee's preferred pronoun in work-related communications.
Prohibits public school boards and teachers from adopting a policy that requires or prohibits the use of a student's preferred gender pronoun.
Requires school boards, with the approval of the parent or legal guardian, to implement a plan for the use of a separate restroom accommodation for a transgender student.
Prohibits students from using a restroom that does not coincide with the student's biological sex.
Prohibits a school district, public school, or public school teacher from:
- Adopting a policy concerning a particular student's transgender status without approval from the student's parent or legal guardian
- Withholding or concealing information about a student's transgender status from the student's parent or legal guardian.

Federal agencies have tried to force schools to grant access to sex-specific intimate facilities based on self-declared gender identity instead of biological sex.
Students, particularly women and girls, have valid concerns about privacy and safety in intimate spaces, as well as about the equality of women under law. Allowing males to have access to female-only spaces completely disregards the safety and privacy of women and girls.
Gender identity polices are unlawful under current Title 9 regulations. The term “sex” is not ambiguous and cannot be unilaterally redefined by schools to mean “gender identity.”
North Dakota law should specify that “sex” does not mean “gender identity,” and local schools should devise solutions that respect the privacy and safety of all students, not just those who claim to have a victim status.

HB 1522 was signed into law on May 8th, 2023.