Combining safety and privacy: Loudoun County Schools gets update on bathrooms project

LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. — Tuesday night, the Loudoun County School Board received an update on the status of the Safety and Privacy Restroom Study. 

Chief Operations Officer Kevin Lewis shared that the goal is to combine safety and privacy. He told board members they are about 18 months into the project which was initially implemented in the fall of 2021.

The total cost of the project is estimated to be $10.9 million and is included in the FY 2023 and FY 2024 budgets.

So far, Lewis told the board they've created six, all gender, private, single-occupancy restrooms in each high school. They've created four in each middle school and two in each elementary school.

He told the board this is in compliance with Regulation 8040, Section G which states “When schools have available gender-inclusive or single-user restrooms or private changing areas, these restrooms or areas should be accessible to all students without special codes or keys.”

Right now, they're in the feedback process. Some of the feedback they've received includes concerns regarding door locks. He shared that door locks on bathrooms offer privacy, but also bring some safety concerns.

They're also doing a technology study. Some of the things they're considering are vaping and air quality monitoring technology, occupancy sensors and options for cloud-based monitoring inside school restrooms.

Lewis also presented a timeline for the entire project. It's expected to all be completed by August of 2026.

This all became a major focal point for the Loudoun County School Board in 2021 when a student was sexually assaulted by another student inside a bathroom at Stone Bridge High School.