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  5:15 pm
Commenter: Anonymous

Strongly Oppose Transgender Guidelines
 

VDOE as you know a teacher’s job is very difficult. It is totally discriminatory to take away the rights of teachers and other students by insisting that using the given name of a child instead of a name or pronoun a child chooses on any given day is harassment.  To say the child’s name is not harassment or discrimination. People are not mind readers and most people do not photographic memories.  Schools do not have the right to take away parents authority over their children.  This is what is done in communist or socialist countries were no one is free.  Many children are confused about their gender when they are young. Most outgrow the confusion naturally. Children do not need school personnel causing more confusion in their lives by going behind their parents back and teaching them about sexual identity. Gender identity is not subjective and to say it is only causes confusion in a child. How can parents who encourage their children to embrace their God-given sex be abuse or neglect?   Parents want what is best for their children. They know their children better than any school personnel. To allow a child access to bathrooms or a locker room on any day based on the whim of the child’s sexual identity for that day takes away the other children’s right to privacy and will ultimately lead to sexual abuse. Parents should always be involved in any interrogation of their child by school officials. Parents have the God given right to know what their children are being taught. These ideas should never be school policies. These policies will inter with a teacher’s ability teach and educate the children. These policies will cause teachers and students unfair treatment by school official and administrators. None of these policies are good for our children or Virginia. They will do more harm than good even to the students they are supposed to help.

CommentID: 95944