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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2/1/21  1:18 pm
Commenter: Hannah Barben

Oppose
 

The government should not have the ability to take away the rights of parents regarding this topic, nor overrule a decision made by parents.  Under these current proposed policies, victims are going to be further victimized.  Under these policies, a boy could decide that he wants to be a girl (when he truly isn't suffering from these feelings) just to have access to the girls locker room.  Regarding overnight field trips, how can you allow boys and girls to share the same room?

The amount of students who truly suffer from gender dysphoria are a very very small percentage.  Why not just treat each individual situation with respect?  After confirming with a physician that the student truly does suffer from gender dysphoria,  allow the student to wear the clothes they want, be called what they want and use a gender neutral bathroom.  

Encouraging students to question their gender is NOT the role of government.

CommentID: 92706