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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1/19/21  10:25 am
Commenter: Flint Dollar, Teacher

Strongly Support and Applaud these efforts
 

Not only do I support and applaud the efforts of this committee, I also support and applaud the efforts of school divisions who have already implemented protections for our trans (and LGBTQ+) students. With the alarming suicide and bullying rate surrounding our trans-students, we should be coming together to find common ground in supporting these children and not increasing the harmfully bigoted rhetoric that further divides our students. We should be seeking knowledge to increase our humanity, not falling back on fears of the unknown or misunderstood.

Our schools, public and private, are supposed to be safe spaces for all students, not just those who fit an idealized and blatantly fictionalized set of guidelines for how to be a man/woman in America.

CommentID: 90733