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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1/6/21  2:02 pm
Commenter: Holly Dodd

Strongly oppose
 

I want to thank you all for taking the time to hear the concerns of the public.  Thank you for being public servants and truly seeking to make the best decisions for those living in your community. 

I know that the topic of transgender is a difficult one.  I also know that we need to have laws to protect everyone, even if we do not agree with others opinions.  That being said, I oppose  the law as the failure to use a students choice of pronoun, which can change on a daily or even hourly basis would result in charges of harassment or discrimination for which disciplinary action can then be taken.  

In order to protect our teachers and students from being disciplined for not knowing which pronoun a particular student would like to utilize in the moment, I encourage you to stand in opposition to this law.

Thank you for your time.

Holly Dodd

CommentID: 88636