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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1/12/21  8:54 am
Commenter: L. Flanagan

OPPOSE as a scientist, mother and community member.
 

I don't see how these changes would help America, families or schools. Hiding situations from parents during a childs' transitory years would be defeating the foundation of what it means to be a family. If a home is to be built on trust, love and guidance, a school should not intervene and keep huge developmental red flags from parents. Red flags being wanting to be a different gender, risk for suicide, sharing bathrooms, distracting from curriculum/learning and overall drastic changes to the education system, as we know it. Furthermore, a child is developing and trying on new ideas and noticing what it means to be one sex or the other. With this vulnerable child development phases of industry versus inferiority or role versus identity confusion, a school is not the pillar for these children - the family is. Schools do not have the right to intervene and encourage new age philosophies. Transgender situations happen for a very small percentage (0.58% US 2016, World Population Review) of folks, so why subject the population at large to the challenges of a few? Also, a large majority of transgender individuals end up wanting to reverse their transformation. From a scientist perspective, your genes determine your sex. A man will not conceive and a women will not embody as much physical strength, naturally. Schools jumping into medical and political fields, will just leave resource-less education systems that much worse. People will pull their kids into private schools and/or move to more conservative locations; thus poor, physically stuck children will be jeopardized further from this experimental school situation. Don't let this happen. Preserve what American families and education systems have left. Oppose these drastic changes before it's too late.

CommentID: 89638