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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2/3/21  10:45 am
Commenter: dm

Support
 

                 While I have no personal experience with transgender public school students, I have children and grandchildren and have myself graduated from the Virginia public school system. I think that a lot of the negative comments posted here are from those who are either afraid of the unknown or driven by hatred of anyone different from themselves. What I am sure of is that school, particularly middle and high school, can be a marathon for anyone who is bullied or seen as different or who doesn’t readily fit in. That must be a nightmare. I cannot imagine that transgender students will ever comprise a majority of any particular school, making the smaller number particularly open to harassment. I fully support this policy as well as any others that help marginalized students.

CommentID: 95104