Virginia Regulatory Town Hall View Comments

Department of Education

State Board of Education

Guidance Document Change: Every day, throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, educators and school leaders work to ensure that all students have an opportunity to receive a high-quality education. As a part of that work, educators strive to meet the individual needs of all students entrusted to their care, and teachers work to create educational environments where all students thrive. The Virginia Department of Education (the “Department”) recognizes that each child is a unique individual with distinctive abilities and characteristics that should be valued and respected. All students have the right to attend school in an environment free from discrimination, harassment, or bullying. The Department supports efforts to protect and encourage respect for all students. Thus, we have a collective responsibility to address topics such as the treatment of transgender students with necessary compassion and respect for all students. The Department also fully acknowledges the rights of parents to exercise their fundamental rights granted by the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to direct the care, upbringing, and education of their children. The Code of Virginia reaffirms the rights of parents to determine how their children will be raised and educated. Empowering parents is not only a fundamental right, but it is essential to improving outcomes for all children in Virginia. The Department is mindful of constitutional protections that prohibit governmental entities from requiring individuals to adhere to or adopt a particular ideological belief. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees religious freedom and prohibits the government from compelling speech that is contrary to an individual’s personal or religious beliefs. The Department embarked on a thorough review of the Model Policies Guidance adopted on March 4, 2021 (the “2021 Model Policies”). The 2021 Model Policies promoted a specific viewpoint aimed at achieving cultural and social transformation in schools. The 2021 Model Policies also disregarded the rights of parents and ignored other legal and constitutional principles that significantly impact how schools educate students, including transgender students. With the publication of these 2022 Model Policies (the “2022 Model Policies”), the Department hereby withdraws the 2021 Model Policies, which shall have no further force and effect. The Department issues the 2022 Model Policies to provide clear, accurate, and useful guidance to Virginia school boards that align with statutory provisions governing the Model Policies. See Code of Virginia, § 22.1-23.3 (the “Act”). Significantly, the 2022 Model Policies also consider over 9,000 comments submitted to the Department during the public comment period for the 2021 Model Policies.

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10/26/22 12:49 pm

Commenter: Danielle Kenny

Strongly Oppose Youngkin policy and Support Transgender youth and families

We should strive for inclusion and an understanding of intrinsic human value and dignity.

I am astounded that many statements from our politicians, and leaders have stated that this policy "simply require[s] the involvement of parents in important decisions about the lives of their children" or current policy "allows teachers and school administrators to keep parents in the dark about important information about their own children" or "we should not accommodate your mental illness" and many more. At the same time these same people espouse to the notion of "pro life".

Let's take a step back and think about the value of All human life and the dignity of ALL human life. I am a parent of a large family in current standards. Our children who have gone through Virginia Public Schools and we value ALL life no matter where that person is in their life journey. When you look at ALL people with dignity and respect, you cannot dismiss them so easily or demean them or discount their struggles because you do not understand or it is not convenient for you or socially acceptable for you to engage with them.

Our children are our future and our present. We should protect, educate, guide, love, and cherish them for who they are and all they have the potential to become. In doing so, we are charged with working with our community, neighbors, teachers, and others to raise the next generation of citizens to be their best people they can. Not all families are this supportive and therefore the community must take up the slack and help. Transgender children who have supportive parents will have no issue working with the tribe around their child but those who do not have supportive parents need that tribe to protect them and work to help those parents understand and work with their child. The proposed policy does not provide support for the youth who have no support to start with. The rates of self harm, bullying, harassment, violence, and suicide for these youth are astounding. This policy would make things worse and these numbers will only rise.

The schools are not keeping parents in the dark, they are not denying parents to be involved in their children's lives and this is not a mental illness problem. The schools are providing the safe environment they have tried to be for centuries to children. Let's focus on educating parents how to speak with their children and allowing children to have a voice. Children need to have a safe environment to be true to themselves and that space SHOULD be at home and at school! Do not take one of these away as they may only have one space to begin with. None of this is easy but let's not make it harder.

I am an LGBTQ+ ally as I believe in the dignity of ALL human life. Therefore, I cannot support the Youngkin proposed policy and hope our leaders do not as well.

CommentID: 198827