While I believe this document is well intentioned, as a parent I am very concerned about the resulting safety implications for all students, including those the document is designed to protect. In an effort to provide a safe and comfortable option to a segment of the population, the privacy and safety of the entire population is threatened. Given that restrooms and locker rooms are sensitive areas that cannot be monitored effectively due to appropriate privacy concerns, the potential exists for countless uncomfortable and even dangerous situations to arise for students who have no recourse but to allow anyone to enter their private spaces.

This policy is in direct conflict with the progress that has been made for women's rights, in particular. The policy appears to have no accountability, such that students who do NOT identify as transgender could simply enter whichever restroom or locker room they wanted - with no recourse available for those students who could be violated in the process. The possibilities of abuse, assault, lewd comments, etc., are predictable and entirely unacceptable. We need to be proactive in our policy making, so as to avoid the potential pain and abuse that this document will generate. I know we can develop better policy to protect all students involved, including the transgender community. For example, if a student is being harassed in any way in the restroom or locker room, it seems a private space should be made available - as outlined in the policy. But allowing anyone to access any restroom or locker room of his/her/their choice is fraught with shortsighted thinking and inevitable and avoidable dangers. Everyone should have access to a safe space for such private activities, and I ask that Virginia rework this policy to make sense for all of the populations under their care.