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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1/11/21  3:08 pm
Commenter: Debra Maddrell

STRONGLY OPPOSE
 

I STRONGLY OPPOSE the Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virginia’s Public Schools

The proposed policies exclude parents from their proper role in the lives of their minor children, deliberately disrupting the nuclear family dynamic; and take virtually no notice of the increasing amount of evidence that gender dysphoria is a disorder that can be treated, not a choice. Further, this policy imposes behavior on teachers with which they must comply or face dismissal. It imposes behavior on children they are not equipped to understand and which may very well be strenuously opposed by their families and religious communities.

It's hardly necessary to go to this extreme to teach children to treat their peers with kindness, particularly those suffering from disorders or disabilities.

CommentID: 89484