Virginia Regulatory Town Hall View Comments

Department of Education

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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1/11/21 9:35 am

Commenter: Christine Robinson

I urge you to implement this guidance document.

Please implement these measures to help support the dignity and well-being of young people in our schools. This will go a long way to help protect them from harm and to encourage employees in school systems to treat each person with respect.

There is a substantial body of research that shows how bulling and mistreatment in schools (by students as well as school employees) leads sexual and gender minority youth to skip school and drop out of school, and puts them at much greater risk for ending up in the juvenile justice system.

Thank you for the work you have done to craft this important document.

CommentID: 89428