The Saskatchewan government is now requiring all school divisions to “develop, implement, and make publicly available a policy on change room usage that upholds the privacy, dignity and comfort of all students.”
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All school divisions in the province will now be required to develop and implement a change-room usage policy in consultation with parents, guardians and students, the Saskatchewan government says.
The new policies for Saskatchewan’s 27 divisions must be posted online by June 25, 2025 and “clearly communicated to staff, parents, students and members of the public to maintain a sufficient level of transparency,” the provincial government said Thursday in a news release.
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The province also said in its release that new policies are meant to uphold the “privacy, dignity and comfort of all students.”
While campaigning for October’s general election, Premier Scott Moe said his “first order of business” would be a directive banning “biological boys” from using school change rooms with “biological girls.” It was in response to a complaint that “biological males” changed for gym class with girls at an elementary school in southeast Saskatchewan.
The announcement led to public backlash from trans and gender-diverse youth advocates, among others. Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck accused Moe of stoking fear and division with voters and putting vulnerable kids more at risk.
After the election, which returned the Saskatchewan Party to power, Moe distanced himself from that commitment, saying “I misspoke … I would say that this would not be the first order of business.”
Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) president Samantha Becotte acknowledged that Thursday’s announcement carried a noticeably different tone compared to the campaign promises made by Moe.
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“It’s an interesting shift in government messaging, from what we saw in the fall and what we have seen in previous years as well,” said Becotte, adding that it seems like the province is respecting the autonomy of school divisions to craft policy that best serves their students.
“We want to make sure that all students, regardless of gender or background, that they are being put into safe and caring learning environments,” she said, noting the same principle should apply whether it’s in a change room, classroom or an outing off school grounds.
Some school divisions already have policies in place, including Regina Public Schools (RPS).
“As we have in the past, the school division will work with the Ministry to meet and address their expectations, as well as work with our students, their families and Regina Public Schools employees to ensure that their voices are included in any procedural amendments, if necessary,” the RPS said in an emailed statement.
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In its release, the province said the new rules will be “formal policy documents used by school staff when dealing with situations such as student safety and privacy,” adding that the government intends to “monitor the situation to ensure that local input is being respected and heard.”
Speaking to media Thursday afternoon, Education Minister Everett Hindley reiterated the government’s position that policy decisions should be left to school divisions. When asked if divisions were given any specific direction around language for the policies, both Hindley and Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SSBA) president Shawn Davidson said there was but nothing granular.
When asked if the government may intervene in policy development, Hindley said “we’ll be monitoring it closely.”
“Ultimately, we want to make sure that every student feels that they are being accommodated and that they feel safe,” he said.
In terms of what he’s heard from school divisions, Hindley said there’s been very few cases where a student has used a change room that does not comport with their assigned gender, adding that the divisions have “been able to accommodate the student that is looking for a private space.”
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Davidson said school divisions will continue to address such matters on a “case-by-case basis,” in part because the actual facilities at any given school can vary. He emphasized that what works for one division will not work for another, allowing for variance in the policy.
At the same time, the expectation is that the policy follows the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code.
“Students have to feel that safety and security if they’re going to adequately learn and that goes for all students,” said Davidson.
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