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  9:59 pm
Commenter: Janet

strongly oppose
 

I strongly oppose this guidance document.  Parents have the fundamental right to be involved in their children's upbringing and education, and in many places throughout this document, parents are explicitly excluded from knowing what is happening in school with regard to their child, both in cases where their child is experiencing gender confusion and where their child might be accused of violating the policies.

It is true that every child deserves fair and equal treatment.  Especially when considering areas like bathrooms and locker rooms, there are so many ways that this could go wrong, for example, someone could claim to have a different identity to gain access to a private area of the opposite sex, and would not even be allowed to be questioned.  This does not take into account the rights of every student.  Is it keeping all of our students safe?

Encouraging children to question their biological gender only adds to confusion, especially if parents are not allowed to be included in such discussions.  Parents must be included!

I strongly oppose the adoption of this guidance document and its policies.  We need to go back to the drawing board to form policies that respect all students and their parents!

CommentID: 96759