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.
Previous Comment     Next Comment     Back to List of Comments
1/17/21  8:27 pm
Commenter: MARAE

No bullying
 

I am very much opposed to bullying in any form.  I agree that all students, including LGBTQ, are entitled to be safe from bullying and harassment.  Having said this, it is important not to go too far in the other direction.  Excluding parents from the discussion because "they wouldn't understand" is misguided at best, sinister at worst, and labeling them as abusive or neglectful for not using the child's chosen pronouns takes it to a whole new level.  Allowing boys into the girls' locker room and the other way around is a recipe for disaster.  (And if we're throwing out the norms for gender, how can we have boys' and girls' sports teams anymore?)  And if anyone calls a TG by the "wrong" pronoun, they are considered bullies.  I have to question who is bullying whom here?  

As of 2018, our high school students were ranked 38th in the world in math scores and 24th for science, according to the World Population Review.  despite having one of the highest budgets in the world.  Maybe we should focus more on core subjects, especially since many have missed the entire last year, and less on pushing forward a political agenda that has nothing to do with education.  Get rid of the bullying and let the kids learn.

CommentID: 90542