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  11:27 am
Commenter: Anonymous

Be led by Science and Compassion
 

I am asking that in making decisions that affect the children of other people, we be led by Science and compassion. Children are either male or female in their DNA. Changes cannot be made prior to adulthood. Therefore, we must protect the rights of all students to feel safe in their own body. We do that with different changing rooms, different restrooms, separating girls and boys during sensitive portions of health education. Please take into consideration the needs of many young children who have been victimized in the past. They must be allowed safe places to change and take care of bathroom needs. We can respond in a compassionate way to confused youth by allowing them separate facilities if necessary but they must not be allowed to choose to violate another child's right to change in an area free from opposite genders. Robbing the innocence of little girls by exposing them to the penis of a young boy who wishes to become a girl is not appropriate. Images are powerful. We can protect all of our children and still be compassionate. Further, I ask that you show respect for the Christian and Muslim members of our community who have deeply held religious beliefs that prevent us from calling a lie the truth. I must not refer to a boy as her, they, it, them. I must not call girls him, non-binary or other things that are not factual. As a follower of Christ and an educator, I must be truthful with my students. To attempt to coerce me to violate my deeply held religious convictions is both illegal and immoral. We can work together to find compromises that show compassion and that respect the differences of all. School should be a safe place for ALL children. Children must not be pawns in a game of adult choices. 

CommentID: 90596