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  10:40 pm
Commenter: Ned Carlo

I support helping children who suffer from gender dysphoria
 

But I'm not sure of the "science" that tells our unelected bureaucrats in charge of our public schools that letting boys use the girl's bathroom, for example, is the best way to balance the interest of helping children suffering from gender dysphoria with the interests of the rest of the community.  I'm also not sure of the 1st amendment legal scholarship that went into the proposed guidelines.  For example, while the 1st amendment may prohibit a school from preventing "students from expressing their identity", I think it also would prohibit a school from punishing a student who doesn't want to call a boy a girl simply because the boy wants to be called a girl. 

CommentID: 89603