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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1/14/21  1:57 pm
Commenter: Kathryn Weber

A Concerned Educator
 

As a lifelong teacher and educator, I am extremely concerned with this proposed mandate. 

This mandate is disturbing on a number of levels.

On an educational level, these pronoun references defy the rules of grammar. They would also place an undue burden on classroom and other teachers to modify their patterns of speech. With years of educational experience, I can see that this would be debilitating to teachers, whose job is hard enough as is, and may prompt many resignations.

On a physical level, this mandate would expose students to abuse of privacy and safety with regard to locker rooms, restrooms and clothing choices.

On a philosophical level, this mandate defies the definition of a human person.

On a spiritual level, this mandate is abusive and constitutes harassment to those students and families whose faith lies in God's creation of humans as male and female.

On an economic level, this mandate would expose the school system to legal prosecution by students and families, which it could ill afford.

CommentID: 89998