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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1/18/21  10:30 am
Commenter: Anonymous

Strongly Support - We Need This
 

As a non-binary high school student, I'm unable to use restrooms at school because there aren't any easily accessible gender-neutral restrooms. Additionally, I love sports but can not participate because I don't feel comfortable on the girls nor boys teams. Gender-neutral athletic opportunities are strongly needed for students to feel included. Also, FLE courses need to include normalization and discussion of LGBTQIA+ individuals to help students feel like they belong. There is both subtle and overt discrimination for LGBTQIA+ students at school. For example, students laugh and make fun of a sign designed to promote positive LGBTQIA+ support. It's isolating when classmates are laughing at who you and your friends are. The VDOE Model Policies would make school safer and more inclusive for me and other LGBTQIA+ students.

CommentID: 90583