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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1/15/21  5:52 am
Commenter: James Michael Jackson, parent

Strongly Oppose - bad policy will do more harm than good
 

While transgender children must be protected, this policy will do more harm than good. School districts should work in conjunction with parents, not actively undermine them. The damage caused to the family relationship will have long term psychological impacts that will harm children. Also, users of restrooms / locker rooms should know they are protected from opposite genders. Again, transgender students need to be protected, but this goes far beyond just protection and promotes bad policy that will lead to harm of the child, both transgender and natural gender. 

CommentID: 90116