O'FALLON, Mo. — A policy over privacy feels personal to Becky Hormuth.
"I have a 16-year-old trans son who attends Francis Howell High School. My child is very upset," she said.
Hormuth is a part of TransParent USA, an organization providing support for parents of trans children. She believes that support system is needed now more than ever.
"Our neighbors are specifically targeting my kid. They phrase it in a way to protect students, but in reality, they are not," she said.
The frustrations are against a proposed policy by a Francis Howell School board member. The first reading is happening at October's board meeting.
Policy 2116 requires students to use bathrooms or locker rooms that match the sex identification on the student's birth certificate.
It also proposes each school within the district to provide a minimum, of one single-use restroom that can have signage indicating use by more than one sex.
It includes that students using the single-use restroom shall not be discriminated against, harassed, or retaliated against by any student or staff member for their choice to use a single-use restroom facility.
"It's total segregation. It's forcing these kids to be outed, if they aren't out. I feel like it's targeting our kids to endure even more emotional distress," Hormuth shared.
She also worries this could cause students to be late if the single-use bathroom is at the opposite end of school.
The founders at Francis Howell Families see it differently.
Vivian and Ken Gontarz founded the organization in the last few years. Their granddaughter is a student in the district.
Francis Howell Families' biography on its website says it "works to recruit, support, and educate candidates for the school board who support academic excellence, transparent accountability, and fiscal responsibility while encouraging in students a strong work ethic, good character, and respect for our nation’s founding principles."
Vivian Gontarz said they got involved after seeing some concerns within the district.
"We assumed this was a conservative community and that there wouldn’t be wild, crazy things, but we got surprised," she said.
The couple told 5 On Your Side they've received multiple calls from parents worried about the current bathroom policies.
Vivian explained, "I spoke to a mother last spring who had a daughter uncomfortable going to the bathroom in Francis Howell North because a boy was going in."
Vivian believes this policy preserves the rights of transgender students by allowing them to have options with a single-use bathroom.
"They can dress however they want and read books on transgender kids, they can access the clubs on campus. Every campus has a chapter of the Gay Straight Alliance, so they get support there," Vivian added.
Vivian Gontarz believes this policy does not discriminate but protects students.
"If you're going to make it OK for little kids, is it OK for adults? Do you want a transgender adult or someone claiming to be transgender, you don’t know someone who goes into the bathroom... you don't know their intent," she added.
Hormuth wants to defend her child, too.
"Our kids are normal kids. They just want to be accepted for who they are," Hormuth said.
This policy comes on the heels after St. Charles County elected officials sent a letter to Fort Zumwalt, Francis Howell, Orchard Farm, St Charles, Washington School and Wentzville School Board of Education.
The letter urged school districts to implement bathroom and locker room policies for transgender students.