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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1/6/21  1:18 pm
Commenter: Edward

STRONGLY oppose
 

I completely disagree with and strongly oppose these policies for various reasons. First off, every single parent SHOULD know about their child. Not notifying a parent about their child, especially in regards to gender issues, is absolutely wrong. Secondly, schools should be a place where children go to learn about things that will help them in life, NOT a place where teachers and faculty can affirm their gender identity, especially if the parents don't know. Third, I agree that we should respect EVERYBODY, including transgenders, but the fact that if you call somebody a different pronoun other than what they believe themselves to be and get in trouble for it is atrocious. Fourth, its complete destruction of privacy. No boy should be allowed to go in girls bathroom, and vice versa. That can easily make boys and girls who oppose extremely uncomfortable. Finally, it's a shame that there are no exemptions for people who hold religious beliefs about gender identity. Many people believe their are TWO genders, and calling anybody outside of their obvious gender violates their God-given convictions, and for people who hold those convictions to get in trouble is appalling. With that said, DO NOT allow these polices to take place.

-Thank you-

CommentID: 88628