Children are not born with hate in their heart. They are taught by grown ups to bully and behave in hateful ways. Kids in school today are incredibly inclusive, despite some parents and governors best efforts to teach them to discriminate.
This so-called guidance is immoral and sows hate and division in our schools. Our kids don't want it and the overwhelming majority of parents don't want it. The small minority of cowardly and fearful parents pushing for policies like this don't get to make the rules for everyone else.
Hatred and discrimination are manifestations of fear. What are you afraid of governor? Are you afraid students will learn to be respectful of people that don't look like them, don't pray like them, and don't fit YOUR preconceived notions? Is respect, and tolerance, and inclusivity a threat to you and your supporters? Are you intent on churning out generations of bigots that enter the real world and find that they have been gaslighted by the adults making the rules?
It does not hurt grown ups one damn bit to call a student by a preferred name. In fact, hundred of thousands of kids in Virginia schools go by a nickname different than their full legal name. No one asks parents for permission to call a kid Cathy instead of Catherine. And no grown up is "harmed" for not being a jerk.
Your rules are juvenile, harmful, and probably illegal. As a parent I vehemently oppose this guidance and will fight it on all levels.