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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1/13/21  3:54 pm
Commenter: Concerned Citizen

Strongly Oppose Trans Changes
 

While I fully agree that any student should be treated respectfully, I
absolutely do not approve of these proposed guidelines! They are a
state overreach of power based on radical, unscientific theories that
seek to eradicate all distinctions between male and female and treat
our school-aged children as social experiments in sexuality. Rather
than making children feel safe, these policies create chaos and
confusion in the hearts and minds of children where none existed
before. Additionally, these guidelines especially endanger girls,
making them subject to possible abuse and/or harassment in
bathrooms, locker rooms, etc., and also subject to biological
inequities in sports competitions.
Furthermore, the family is the most foundational and fundamental unit
in society, and these policies only serve to destroy that family unit by
undermining parental authority and involvement in their children’s
lives. Unquestionably, the vast majority of parents love and care more
about their own children than the state or anyone else ever will. What
automatically qualifies the state to be more loving/caring/responsible
in handling these crucial, life-altering matters than the parents
themselves? This usurping of parental authority by the state sets a
dangerous precedent for the abuse of public power in other arenas as
well.

CommentID: 89891