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 am
Commenter: Maria

Oppose - Dangerous Bill for youth and parents
 

These laws would endanger children and the rights of parents to raise their children according to their conscience. Abuse of minors in the public school system is a very real danger, laws that would promote secrecy and pressure to conform to sexual content at the risk of being removed from one’s home will provide child predators huge leverage in our system. Also, while we want to believe that the people claiming a sexual identity different from their biological sex are being sincere, this law completely abolished protections for students against those who would misuse the law. Imagine an older male student using the female bathroom to prey on young women, and then threatening to report them as having anti-Trans views if they don’t comply with their sexual demands. That same student might be too afraid, as many young women are who are attacked, to come forward, fearing they might be removed from their home or punished in some way at school. We already have anti-bullying protections on the books, we do not need to turn our schools into re-education camps where people with peaceful opposing views are threatened for wanting to uphold their views in their own homes. This is a dangerous precedent to set. Imagine if the tables were turned and schools were teaching that you cannot identify as LGBT or you will be re-educated and made to deny yourself. Further yet that your LGBT status reflects on your home life and that you should be removed from your home. This is not the place of our education system, sexual politics and dangerous intrusions into the familial relationship are not appropriate. There are already laws that protect abused children and stop bullying at schools based on any sort of sexual, ethnic or racial basis. This is an unnecessary overstep that will open the door to great harm. 

CommentID: 95238