Virginia Regulatory Town Hall View Comments

Department of Education

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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1/8/21 12:30 pm

Commenter: Parent

Strongly oppose

By taking an affirming stance towards gender transition, you are limiting teachers and counselors in doing their job of holistically assessing a student and his or her needs (and entirely negating parental rights). There is no other psychological condition in which a diagnosis precedes an evaluation. I encourage you to read “Irreversible,” which discusses the long term damage of hasty affirming diagnosis. Sadly, the children who have been hastily “guided” through transitions they later regret as adults are the victims of this misguided and scientifically ignorant movement.

CommentID: 88894