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  11:42 pm
Commenter: A Mother, Teacher

Strongly Oppose
 

I strongly oppose the state inserting itself between a child and the parent/family. Surely no child or person should be maligned, however, this document seeks to destroy the family by inserting the state into matters it has no business being involved in. Parents routinely make choices for their children—what they eat, how much screen time they use, where they go, what they do. As developing human beings whose minds and bodies are still growing, children lack wisdom and need guidance. The problem here is that the state is assuming it and/or the child knows what’s best for each child—especially in a matter of profound importance—identity. 

Additionally, rules and guidelines are being proposed that would profoundly impact the entire student population. These principles ignore basic biological facts and place the emotions and feelings of a small minority over all other concerns. The door is open wide for abuse. The transgender movement as a whole requires one to divorce feelings from physical reality. Unfortunately, science has yet to make the fastest woman as fast as the fastest man, and no male transitioning to female has yet to menstruate and bear the possibility of pregnancy. Yet these guidelines and others like it are asking society to see the biological female as the same as the transgender one. These proposed principles are telling girls and boys that their only difference is one of psychological choice. If you’re the parent and you want to teach your child such—that’s one thing. To have the state insert itself and force such a philosophy is another matter. Where will the intrusion of the state into family matters stop? Hopefully here and now.   

CommentID: 97107