Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Education
 
Board
State Board of Education
 
Guidance Document Change: The Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virginia’s Public Schools guidance document was developed in response to House Bill 145 and Senate Bill 161, enacted by the 2020 Virginia General Assembly, which directed the Virginia Department of Education to develop and make available to each school board model policies concerning the treatment of transgender students in public elementary and secondary schools. These guidelines address common issues regarding transgender students in accordance with evidence-based best practices and include information, guidance, procedures, and standards relating to: compliance with applicable nondiscrimination laws; maintenance of a safe and supportive learning environment free from discrimination and harassment for all students; prevention of and response to bullying and harassment; maintenance of student records; identification of students; protection of student privacy and the confidentiality of sensitive information; enforcement of sex-based dress codes; and student participation in sex-specific school activities, events, and use of school facilities.
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2/3/21  7:22 pm
Commenter: Kristy Campbell, RN

Needs serious reconsideration and modifications
 

While I support one’s right to decide/identify  their own gender, I do not support the use of school bathrooms according to which gender a student identifies with. My concern is misuse with intent to harm. As a former high school nurse, I have seen and dealt with the problems that this causes by both “sides” of this very hot issue. There needs to be one or several separate gender neutral bathrooms for these students that identify as a different gender than what they are physically born as. It is not fair to those who identify as “straight” to be made uncomfortable by transgender students and vice versa.  Quite a few of my former transgender students expressed the desire to have a separate bathroom and locker room for their use. I suggest everyone involved in this process to tread lightly and to look at all pros and cons. And to keep in mind that there are still very many conservative areas/localities in the state of Virginia. 

CommentID: 96209