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  8:46 pm
Commenter: Anonymous

It isn't about equality or fairness, it's about the core of education.
 

This isn't an issue of fairness or justice for transgenders, it's a issue of classroom control. By allowing students to force a teacher to use a preferred pronoun under penalty of disciplinary action, you are making teachers dance through a minefield of potentially ever changing preferred pronouns. Accidently say the wrong one and it will blow up on you. Teaching needs to focus on the education of core elements: language, reading, art, math and sciences, not on an indeterminant game of "Guess the pronoun".

If you feel you need to have a policy, make it suggested one where the teacher uses a student's preferred first name or their last name when addressing them personally or talking about them in the third person.  Again, make it suggested that the teachers do this, not under penalty of disciplinary action.

 

Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to address this issue.

CommentID: 96448