Transgender restroom policies: Tom Horne says parents are threatening to pull children from schools

PHOENIX - Restroom policies for transgender students remain at the center of a heated discussion in Arizona.

Superintendent Tom Horne says he's received a number of concerns from parents who are "outraged" over biological boys using restrooms that are intended for girls.

In a statement, Horne says that he advises schools not to implement policies that would allow this, and instead, provide separate facilities open to either gender.

"I have been contacted by a number of parents who are outraged by the idea that biological boys can use restrooms, locker rooms and shower facilities meant for girls, and they are considering removing their daughters from schools that allow this," he said. "In Arizona, they certainly have multiple school options from which to choose."

Back in June, Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed a Republican-backed bill that restricted the use of public school restrooms for transgender students. 

Hobbs called it an attack on transgender students and their freedoms.

The bill would have also required public schools to establish other accommodations for a student who refused to use a multi-occupancy bathroom or changing area of the gender they were assigned at birth. The law would also have applied to sleeping quarters on school-sponsored overnight trips.

The Associated Press (AP) contributed to this report.