Thank you for helping us work within the value systems of our families.

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I am a school counselor in the commonwealth of Virginia and I very much appreciate these policies. Best practice within the counseling profession means that we must work within our clients’ values systems. I appreciate that these policies promote conversation between families, students, and school staff in order to ensure that we are, indeed, working within our clients’ systems of values. These conversations will lead to more positive, trusting relationships between schools, students, and families. It will also lead to students making more educated decisions about their futures and their senses of self.

Right now, we have very limited research about gender and the long term effects of gender transitions. Social media glamorizes individuality in gender/sexuality issues and doesn’t provide students with all of the information they need to make such a serious decision. Such a serious decision cannot be made in isolation. If so, I fear that students’ mental health will be even more at risk.

I would appreciate more information about how confidentiality policies within school counseling programs would be impacted by this model. In accordance with professional ethical standards, we maintain confidentiality with our students unless student safety is at risk, or unless students give us permission to share with others. How will this model impact these practices?


My child asked- When are they coming after me? How should I respond? Strongly Oppose

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As a parent, our family has struggled like all families with COVID, remote schooling, and now culture battles that have no place in our schools. How should I react when my child asks....when are they coming after me (as a bi-racial student), she fully understands what this policy means?! Instead of teaching children to embrace diversity, we are teaching them to be afraid of those that don't look, and act like them. This policy and furthermore the governor's entire agenda are disgusting stunts to stoke fear and divide.


Fully Oppose

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<p>This proposal by the governor seems to forget that these children are human beings, who know themselves far better than anyone else could possibly know them. One of the things they learn in school is respect. Respect for their elders, respect for authority, respect for their peers. How incongruous then to tell them they are not who they know themselves to be. It will be harmful to their psyche with long lasting repercussions should we dictate their gender identity. Not all families are open in their communication within a family to allow a student to share openly their identity. What recourses do these children have if you deny them the ability to publicly -at least in school, state who they are and be respected for that. Why do we boil it down to bathroom use? Respect the students, respect them as human beings. Protect their rights to identify who they are. </p>


Support fot Governor Youngkin in his proposal to overhaul the rules of the VA Dept of Education

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I fully support Governor Youngkin in all aspects of his proposal to overhaul the rules of the VA Dept. of Education and replace them with Model Policies.  Children and parental rights must be protected!!!

Mary O'Donohue

Mother of 5, grandmother of 14


Denying Transgender Students Certain Rights Will Harm Them and Is Dangerous

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To put children in an environment where they are unable to express who they are stunts their emotional well-being. Suppressing feelings of authenticity and personal happiness, more often than not, will lead to mental health issues. This is statistically proven. The Trevor Project is a crisis lifeline for LGBTQ+ youth. In a survey they conducted, 44% of transgender youth accounted for has had thoughts of suicide over the past year. To make matters worse, GLSEN’s conducted survey shows that 75% of transgender youth feel unsafe going to school.  Not allowing transgender students access to a preferred bathroom is going to remind them of the fact that their identity and authentic self is not being respected. This is disrespectful. If schools want to teach students principles of kindness and respect, why shouldn’t it start with the student being respected so that they know how to model that behavior and can truly be happy? Calling a transgender student a name that is not their preferred one or using the pronouns that they do not prefer adds to this disrespect as well as invalidation. A large amount of transgender youth is not open about their identity to family and parents because it could put them into a situation of danger. Multiple accounts of child abuse have been reported due to the parents of a transgender child not validating or accepting the child and, therefore, physically or emotionally abusing them. Transgender students could be carrying this burden, a burden made worse by administration notifying the student’s  parents about their transgender identity when the student themself is not ready to tell their parents in hopes of not getting hurt. Invalidation has also come to students in the form of exclusion from sports. Not allowing a student to play on a sports team of their preferred gender or organize belongings in a category of preferred gender leads to even more feelings of validation and sadness, as they do not feel included the way they would be happy and comfortable with. No school child has an advantage over a school child of another birth sex simply due to their birth sex. Any given child has their own set of strengths and weaknesses. To deny students of this right is to take away from experiences of fun, innocent sports games. If the emotional well being and mental health of students is a priority, this bill should not be put into place. It can lead to harm inflicted on the student either by themself or their unaccepting peers and family.


strongly Oppose

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Since when did picking on a particular group of humans become acceptable?  Transpeople whether they are minors or adults deserve the same rights that cisgender people have.  People are people. Why does one group get to dictate the norm and overrule basic human rights like being addressed by a preferred name?  If loving thy neighbor is what the Bible commands then how are transpeople, not our neighbors, friends, and people we should welcome with open hearts?

Trans people are at such a disadvantage in our society why would we put up even more barriers?  They are not our enemies let us give them the rights and respect that we command in our everyday lives.  It is the least we can do to model the kind of open, honest and loving community we strive for.


I support the new language as set forth by Governor Youngkin.

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<p>I agree with the new 2022 language as proposed by Gov Youngkin. </p>


I OPPOSE YOUNGKIN’S POLICY ON TRANS YOUTH.

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SHAME ON YOUNGKIN. WE NEED A GOVERNOR THAT CARES FOR ALL CITIZENS.


Transgender Students Belong! They Need Validation, Respect, and Rights.


Transgender Policies for Students

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I fully support the proposed changes. Parents should be involved in school matters.


100% support Governor Youngkin's model policies

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<p>Thank you Governor Youngkin for supporting parents and all students.  I support you 100%.  Stay strong and courageous.  Our schools need good leadership.  </p>


Protection for our Girls in Bathrooms and Sports! Yes, Governor!

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Thank you Governor Youngkin!


Parental Rights

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<p>Who cares for children most?  Parents. No other people have more love and concerns for their children. So naturally Parents should be the first to have the right on the well-being of their kids to whom they gave their lives. </p>


Thank you

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<p>Parents are the first and primary people responsible for their children. Thank you Governor for supporting this and ensuring  these God given rights and responsibilities are upheld. </p>


All Children Belong, Protect Trans + Non-Binary Youth

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Governor Youngkin, Virginia Lawmakers,

I strongly oppose the proposed assault on the rights of Transgender and Non-Binary Youth.  Allowing personal biases or religious opinions to strip anyone of their bodily autonomy is unconstitutional and should be illegal.

PROTECT ALL OF OUR YOUTH, including Trans and Non-Binary students.

Virginia Voter, Harrisonburg City


Storngly support Gov. Youngkin's proposed policy.

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Children are given to parents to raise and not a Government or its institution. Therefore, it is the parents who should make the determinations that are in the children best interest.


Northam and his 2021 guidance are history. The voters have spoken. Thank you Governor!

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The voters have already settled this issue. Citizens in Virginia are done with the woke mob indoctrinating our children. Power has been restored back to the parents. School boards will be handed back to the parents. Our children thank you Governor!


Oppose the 2022 proposed model policy.

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On September 16th, I understand that Governor Glenn Youngkin and the Virginia Department of Education released a draft model policy that would remove and replace 2021's model policies on the treatment of transgender (trans) and non-binary youth in schools. The 2021 guidance assists Virginia's local education agencies in adopting a comprehensive set of policies that will protect transgender and nonbinary students from bullying, harassment, and discrimination in schools and create inclusive and affirming learning environments. Equality Virginia OPPOSES the 2022 proposed model policy.

Frankly I think Governor Youngkin's draft model is based in transphobia and seeks to further harm trans and nonbinary kids. Furthermore, it seeks to erase trans and nonbinary youth from the classroom. Creating a hostile & potentially dangerous school environment.

This plan would require teachers and school staff to forcibly “out” students to their parents against their will in some circumstances, such as where a student seeks counseling. At times when a student is not even sure of if they are ready to reveal these things to their parents yet or in situations where they would be in real danger of revealing their sexuality to their parents. Instead of showing encouragement to a young person at a time they most need it, it would prohibit teachers and school staff from supporting trans & nonbinary students, such as using a student’s affirming name & pronouns.


100% Support Governor Youngkin!  Protection for our Girls!!!


All children matter and that means ALL children-opposing the 2022 model policies

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In your own statement, "All students have the right to attend school in an environment free from discrimination, harassment, or bullying. The Department supports efforts to protect and encourage respect for all students." However, you want to change protections for some students because adults have big feelings and have never learned how to respect others themselves. Many homes are not safe for children to be themselves and the 2022 Model Policies make it clear that this administration is staying that only certain children deserve an environment free of discrimination, harassment, or bullying whether that comes from peers or adults that made a commitment to be the village the helps raise the children.

The 2021 Model policies did not disregard the rights of parents no matter how this administration wants to spin it. My child has not ever feared being in a space with a transgendered peer but they have by a bully wearing a MAGA hat. The only thing the 2022 will do is create a clear divide that some children have more value in the eyes of adults that never learned about social emotional intelligence or mental health. I teach my child to be inclusive of all, what about my rights as a parent?


100% Support Governor Youngkin!  Protect our Girls!!!


Protections for trans and nonbinary students

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On September 16th, I understand that Governor Glenn Youngkin and the Virginia Department of Education released a draft model policy that would remove and replace 2021's model policies on the treatment of transgender (trans) and non-binary youth in schools. The 2021 guidance assists Virginia's local education agencies in adopting a comprehensive set of policies that will protect transgender and nonbinary students from bullying, harassment, and discrimination in schools and create inclusive and affirming learning environments. Equality Virginia OPPOSES the 2022 proposed model policy.

Frankly I think Governor Youngkin's draft model is based in transphobia and seeks to further harm trans and nonbinary kids. Furthermore, it seeks to erase trans and nonbinary youth from the classroom. Creating a hostile & potentially dangerous school environment. You can try to claim that it is about "Parents Rights" all you like, this is about keeping LGBTQs in the closet and out of sight. Denying them their equal rights in an environment they find comfort and safety.

This "so-called" plan would require teachers and school staff to forcibly “out” students to their parents against their will in some circumstances, such as where a student seeks counseling. At times when a student is not even sure of if they are ready to reveal these things to their parents yet or in situations where they would be in real danger of revealing their sexuality to their parents. Instead of showing encouragement to a young person at a time they most need it, it would prohibit teachers and school staff from supporting trans & nonbinary students, such as using a student’s affirming name & pronouns.


Please Protect Female Students!  100% Support Governor Youngkin!


Do not adopt the 2022 Model Policies

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The 2021 Model Policies prohibited “any and all discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on an individual’s actual or perceived . . . sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by law.” The 2021 Model Policies also required that “[a]ny incident or complaint of discrimination, harassment, or bullying shall be given prompt attention” and that “[c]omplaints alleging discrimination, harassment, or bullying based on a student’s actual or perceived gender identity shall be handled in the same manner as other discrimination or harassment complaints.” Finally, the 2021 Model Policies required the establishment of a school contact for both students and parents should the complaint be “not resolved at the school level.”

The 2022 Model Policies make disappointing and harmful changes to bullying, harassment, and discrimination policies. First, it removes the explicit protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. Instead, the only gender identity term it protects explicitly is “sex” which is defined by the 2022 Model Policies as “biological sex.” While the bullying, harassment, and discrimination prohibitions also protect “any other characteristic protected by law,” the removal of sexual orientation and gender identity as explicit categories sends a clear message: VDOE does not care about LGBTQ+ youth being bullied, harassed, or discriminated against.

Second, the 2022 Model Policies require that “[s]chool personnel shall be trained annually on health and mental wellness support to, and safety of, all students.” This is a drastic change from the 2021 Model Policies which required “[a]ll school mental health professionals shall be trained annually on topics relating to LGBTQ+ students, including safety and support for LGBTQ+ students.” The 2022 Model Policies therefore explicitly erase required training for staff on LGBTQ+ health and mental well-being.

Thankfully, the 2022 Model Policies keep the language of the 2021 Model Policies that “[a]ny incident or complaint of discrimination, harassment, or bullying shall be given prompt attention, including investigating the incident and taking appropriate corrective and/or disciplinary action, by the school administrator.” It also keeps the language that “[t]he [School Division’s Designated Contact] shall be available to hear concerns from students and parents when complaints are not resolved at the school level.” It also adds additional language that “[b]ullying of any student by another student, for any reason, cannot be tolerated in our schools. Intervening immediately to stop bullying on the spot can help ensure a safer school environment for all students.”

Stopping bullying for any student is an important goal for Virginia’s K-12 public schools. My concern is that gender identity and sexual orientation are no longer explicitly protected classes under the 2022 Model Policies and that school personnel are no longer required to obtain LGBTQ+ specific health and mental wellness professional development. In fact, it feels like VDOE is bullying the very trans kids they are claiming to protect by removing resources and policies aimed at supporting and protecting them.

This is wrong because it fails to protect the students who need it the most. This affects so many queer and trans students because it takes away their ability to freely express themselves while in school. Bullying and harassment should not be problems that these students should have to deal with while trying to live and learn in school.

For these reasons, I ask you to repeal the 2022 Model Policies and reinstate the 2021 Model Policies.


Support 100% Protecting Female Students!  Support Governor Youngkin!


These new guidelines are a violation of personal freedom and privacy

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<p>These new guidelines are a violation of the students free speech. Passing these will be a violation of the constitution and will cause great harm to the mental and physical health of our children </p>


Transgender Policies for Students

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I fully support the proposed changes to the current policy. Parents should be actively involved.


strongly oppose this policy

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What you are proposing is simply horrible.  I thought Republicans were all about free  speech, free expression and limited government.  Instead you want to make these vulnerable children's lives miserable with these stupid laws. Stop it with the culture wars.


I do not agree with this!

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<p>Please, don’t do this. Everybody has a right to be who they are. Do you want to be apart of tearing down others and creating more mental health issues in youth? Leave the LGBTQIA+ community alone. What makes people think they can rule somebody else’s life? Anyone opposing this bill should take a hard look at themselves, especially if they call themselves, as they aren’t better than anyone else. </p>


Do not support the new VDOE policies

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Learning and adolescence is hard enough without policies targeting students for being able to comfortably explore and own who they are. This generation is more tolerant, kind, and understanding of their diverse composition of peers and leaders across the state shouldn't impose bigoted policies on them to score political points.


I STRONGLY OPPOSE

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<p>I strongly oppose. This Is rooted in transphobia and seeks to further harm trans and nonbinary kids. Life is short. There are way more important things to worry about that don’t include harming kids that may be different than you. Please stop. </p>


Strongly oppose these cruel policies

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These policies are gratuitously cruel and put the health and safety of trans and non-binary kids at risk.  By requiring school personnel to out trans and non-binary kids to their parents, these policies not only undermine any trust these students might have in school officials. They put children at genuine risk of being shamed, punished, or even subject to violence from parents who don't approve of their gender identity. There is a reason these kids are out at school and not at home!  The governor's response to these very reasonable concerns - that students should "trust parents" - is unconscionable.  No chid should be expected to trust parents who shame and abuse them because of who they are!

Even kids who come from supportive families would be forcibly outed to peers, teachers, and staff, and forced to choose between quitting sports or subjecting themselves to harassment and stigma by playing on a team that doesn't correspond to their gender identity.

All students deserve the right to attend school in an environment that is safe, respectful, and conducive to learning.  These policies elevate the interests of parents in shaming or punishing trans kids, or disavowing their identities, over the rights of trans kids to attend school in an environment that is safe, respectful, and conducive to learning.  Virginia kids deserve better.


Highly support new Model Policies

Thank you, Governor Youngkin, for proposing these excellent changes to the Model Policies for VA Public Schools. I am so grateful to see this proposed changes, not only as a parent, but as someone concerned for the welfare of all of the Commonwealth's children.
Your new policies recognize that parents, and NOT the government through its schools, bear the primary responsibility for, and thus the authority over, the care of their children.
While gender dysphoria is a real psychological disorder, it is very, very rare. The recent policies and practices adopted throughout the country, such as the previous Model Policies attempting to help transgender children are1: not treating individuals' gender dysphoria effectively and2: causing great confusion and psychological damage to the vast majority of other children who do not suffer from gender dysphoria but who are vulnerable to suggestions of all kinds. Such damaging policies are causing a wave of premature "transition therapies" leading to the abuse and mutilation of children's bodies that almost all will surely come to regret as these poor children grow older.
All children, especially those struggling with gender dysphoria, need guidance and emotional support from their parents. Thank you for proposing these new policies to restore and protect parental authority, and in so doing, to protect our children.
Sincerely,
Hannah Quast

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Thank you, Governor Youngkin, for proposing these excellent changes to the Model Policies for VA Public Schools. I am so grateful to see this proposed changes, not only as a parent, but as someone concerned for the welfare of all of the Commonwealth's children.

Your new policies recognize that parents, and NOT the government through its schools, bear the primary responsibility for, and thus the authority over, the care of their children.

While gender dysphoria is a real psychological disorder, it is very, very rare. The recent policies and practices adopted throughout the country, such as the previous Model Policies attempting to help transgender children are
1: not treating individuals' gender dysphoria effectively and
2: causing great confusion and psychological damage to the vast majority of other children who do not suffer from gender dysphoria but who are vulnerable to suggestions of all kinds. Such damaging policies are causing a wave of premature "transition therapies" leading to the abuse and mutilation of children's bodies that almost all will surely come to regret as these poor children grow older.

All children, especially those struggling with gender dysphoria, need guidance and emotional support from their parents. Thank you for proposing these new policies to restore and protect parental authority, and in so doing, to protect our children.

Sincerely,

Hannah Quast


Opposing the proposed violently anti-trans model policies

Kristin Lennox, LCSW & advocate with youth

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My name is Kristin Lennox. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 7 years of clinical experience with young people, including trans and non-binary people. I also work with young advocates for state-level systems change. I oppose the model policies proposed by Gov. Youngkin's administration and recommend maintaining the 2021 model policies that offer protections and safety to trans and non-binary students.

Through my work, I am extremely fortunate to have the trust of young advocates. We have heard students ask for more mental health support in schools; more trauma-informed training available to school staff; and more wraparound supports for students like peer groups, after-school opportunities, and health and mental health services.

We have also heard student advocates speak candidly about the negative impacts of not feeling a sense of belonging in their schools. Students have reported feelings of low self-esteem; fear; depression and anxiety; self-harm and suicidal ideation due to not feeling a sense of safety or belonging in their schools. All students, no matter their identities, should have the capacity to feel safe and brave in their school environments, with a sense of belonging amongst their peers, teachers, and administrators.

From The Trevor Project:

Transgender and nonbinary youth face elevated risk for depression, thoughts of suicide, and attempting suicide compared to youth who are cisgender and straight, including cisgender members of the LGBTQ community.

A 2020 peer-reviewed study by The Trevor Project’s researchers, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that transgender and nonbinary youth were 2 to 2.5 times as likely to experience depressive symptoms, seriously consider suicide, and attempt suicide compared to their cisgender LGBQ peers.

Protecting children and young people should not be political.

It is time to trust young people.
It is time to trust, believe, and support trans and non-binary people.
It is time to protect and support ALL young people in Virginia.


I am strongly opposed.


Pass 2022 model policies

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<p>I support 2022 model policies </p>


Proposed Policy Violates My Religious Faith

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My Unitarian Universalist faith affirms as its first principle the inherent worth and dignity of every person. The proposed policy on transgender students in Virginia schools violates that practical moral principle and I am therefore compelled to oppose it. Every transgender student is a natural person with the inalienable dignity of individual agency and a right to privacy which is denied to them in this proposed policy. Each of these transgender person’s worth is inherent to their person, not residing in the mind of, or by force of, another person, even a parent.

Transgender students deserve the informed guidance and compassionate counsel of trusted adults, denied them under this policy, as they navigate their personal authentic experience. We all hope that the trusted adult in a child's life is a parent but the plain reality for time immemorial has been that children often confide in an aunt or uncle, a religious educator at church, or a teacher at school. Implementing this regressive policy will not change that dynamic of childhood development.

The fifth principle of my Unitarian Universalist faith affirms the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large, which I also believe to be violated by the irregular process by which this proposed policy has been brought. Some provisions of the proposed policy are already plainly federally unconstitutional under Grimm v. Gloucester.

As a matter of conscience, I will continue on the side of love in defense of the inherent worth and dignity of all people and in firm opposition to this proposed policy which I believe does harm to transgender students.


Strongly Appose 2022 Model

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I strongly Appose the 2022 model policies. These will affect many of my friends, and especially one who is a transgender athlete. These policies are extremely regressive. I would like to specifically point out how gender identity and regulations should NOT have yo be decided by the parent, but the individual themself. I again strongly oppose and hope for a better future.


Not in favor of Youngkin

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<p>This policy could potentially be incredibly damaging to so many youths in VA. I STRONGLY DO NOT AGREE WKTH THIS POLCY! </p>


Support this initiative!  No more strange books in school libraries either!

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<p>Thank you Governor Youngkin for protecting our girls! </p>


2022 Model Policies

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<p>My name is Adam Rodriguez and I am a Virginia student. I oppose Governor Youngkin’s 2022 Model Policies, as they expressly harm the wellbeing of transgender and gender nonconforming students. I have many transgender friends who, in the past, have made use of the resources and policies VDOE have put forth. 2022’s Model Policies would strip them of the most crucial of those, especially with regards to gender-affirming language. It is very possible and, in fact, likely that many transgender students’ parents will not be supportive of their identity and so will not provide them with the support that 2022’s Model Policies mandate they have in order to be treated the way that they deserve to be, which is in affirmation of their identity. I have seen firsthand how dysphoria and being misgendered can affect a person’s mental health and self image, and I worry that without previous support systems in place that this problem will only worsen, potentially leading to self-harm or suicide for some of them. As well, 2022’s Model Policies remove gender identity and sexual orientation as protected classes, which I fear will leave these groups open to targeted bullying that cannot be properly punished, as they would lack the protection. For these reasons, I ask you to repeal the 2022 Model Policies and reinstate the 2021 Model Policies. </p>


Thank you Governor Youngkin!  100% Support!


I strongly oppose the 2022 Model Policies due to contradictory student identification standards

Katherine Stewart Thomas, University of Virginia

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My name is Katherine Thomas, and I am a fourth year at the University of Virginia. My friends and fellow students at the University of Virginia will be harmed by this regressive policy change. How dare we move backwards, and leave behind the children of Virginia? First, I take great issue with the contradictory standards regarding student identification. The guidelines require staff to continue to use the wrong pronouns and deadname transgender students, unless parents ask otherise in writing. Yet, III(D)(1) states that, ““Every effort should be made to ensure that a transgender student wishing to change his or her means of address is treated with respect, compassion, and dignity in the classroom and school environment.” The requirement of a written request is not possible for many students with an unsupportive family, or who may not be openly identifying as transgender yet to their family. And so this requirement will put transgender students in danger, as they will be deadnamed, and called by the wrong pronouns. For these reasons, I oppose the 2022 Model Policies and want Virginia’s state government to reject them! I would like the 2021 Model policies to be reinstated.


I OPPOSE the guidance.

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<p>Protect transgender and non-binary students. Ensure that they have peaceful spaces to learn and grow. Provide an environment that reduces harm and trauma for vulnerable and at-risk people. Show love and support. Please. </p>


Return to the 2021 policy for transgender students

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As a Virginia parent I strongly recommend you return to the 2021 VDOE model transgender student policy. The 2021 policy is well-informed by experts, reasonable, and flexible in allowing local control and encouraging community participation in development of local plans. The 2021 policy supports the fundamental principle of an appropriate public education for all students, free from harassment and stigma, and prepares Virginia students for the diverse workplace of today. For over a decade a significant portion of my work has been policy analysis, and the 2021 VDOE model transgender policy was one of the best-I’ve ever reviewed. The 2021 policy is clear, concise, actionable, and yet customizable to local concerns.

In contrast, the 2022 policy forces districts into a single model, regardless of the community standards and local student populations. The 2022 policy does not protect vulnerable adolescents, even when they are above the age of majority. The 2022 policy puts a state stamp of approval on bullying and harassment in schools, starting with the offensive practices of deadnaming and using incorrect pronouns. If I referred to Governor Youngkin as “she” or “it”, I would be insulting him, even though I have no medical or DNA evidence of his biological gender, only statements giving his pronouns. The 2022 policy limiting bathroom to a student’s assigned gender is punitive, and unjustified by any history of incidents in bathrooms.

Again, I urge you to reject the 2022 policy, and return to the 2021 policy.


In Favor of Youngkin

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I am in support of Youngkin’s proposed policy.


Thank you Governor Youngkin!  Support!!!


Strongly support 2022 model policies

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Please pass 2022 model policies


Biological Gender for Bathroom and Sports! Support!!!


Oppose 2022 Model Policies

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As a University of Virginia student I know that changing the Model Policy will harm many of my schoolmates and myself. Every human has a right to defense and recognition. We defend even criminals, so why can we not defend those who have done no wrong by others? All should have the freedom to choose their gender and how to define themselves as it puts no one in danger. The only people being put in danger are those in the trans community with the new Model Policy. In our modern society we must be open-minded and welcoming to those who have so much to share and contribute to our community. Diversity is key to every communities to success and we must promote and embrace its presence in our lives.


HIWASSEE TRANSGENDER VOLLEYBALL PLAYER SEVERELY INJURES FEMALE HIGH SCHOOLER WITH SPIKE TO THE FACE

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The woke mob has steamrolled over girl’s rights in an effort to push their ludicrous agendas. Not only is it unsafe for boys to play on girls sports team but it is also uncompetitive. Girls have lost roster spots to males on their sports teams and scholarships to males as well. Thank you governor for protecting our young female athletes that the left has abandoned.


Stupid bill

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<p>This bill is dumb. Protect transgender students who might not be safe at home.  </p>


Repeal the 2022 Model Policies

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The 2021 Model Policies prohibited “any and all discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on an individual’s actual or perceived . . . sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by law.” The 2021 Model Policies also required that “[a]ny incident or complaint of discrimination, harassment, or bullying shall be given prompt attention” and that “[c]omplaints alleging discrimination, harassment, or bullying based on a student’s actual or perceived gender identity shall be handled in the same manner as other discrimination or harassment complaints.” Finally, the 2021 Model Policies required the establishment of a school contact for both students and parents should the complaint be “not resolved at the school level.”

The 2022 Model Policies make disappointing and harmful changes to bullying, harassment, and discrimination policies. First, it removes the explicit protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. Instead, the only gender identity term it protects explicitly is “sex” which is defined by the 2022 Model Policies as “biological sex.” While the bullying, harassment, and discrimination prohibitions also protect “any other characteristic protected by law,” the removal of sexual orientation and gender identity as explicit categories sends a clear message: VDOE does not care about LGBTQ+ youth being bullied, harassed, or discriminated against.

Second, the 2022 Model Policies require that “[s]chool personnel shall be trained annually on health and mental wellness support to, and safety of, all students.” This is a drastic change from the 2021 Model Policies which required “[a]ll school mental health professionals shall be trained annually on topics relating to LGBTQ+ students, including safety and support for LGBTQ+ students.” The 2022 Model Policies therefore explicitly erase required training for staff on LGBTQ+ health and mental well-being.

Thankfully, the 2022 Model Policies keep the language of the 2021 Model Policies that “[a]ny incident or complaint of discrimination, harassment, or bullying shall be given prompt attention, including investigating the incident and taking appropriate corrective and/or disciplinary action, by the school administrator.” It also keeps the language that “[t]he [School Division’s Designated Contact] shall be available to hear concerns from students and parents when complaints are not resolved at the school level.” It also adds additional language that “[b]ullying of any student by another student, for any reason, cannot be tolerated in our schools. Intervening immediately to stop bullying on the spot can help ensure a safer school environment for all students.”

Stopping bullying for any student is an important goal for Virginia’s K-12 public schools. My concern is that gender identity and sexual orientation are no longer explicitly protected classes under the 2022 Model Policies and that school personnel are no longer required to obtain LGBTQ+ specific health and mental wellness professional development. In fact, it feels like VDOE is bullying the very trans kids they are claiming to protect by removing resources and policies aimed at supporting and protecting them.

This is wrong because bullying negatively affects the academic performance, mental health, and social well being of students. Because 73% of LGBTQ+ student report that they have been discriminated against, this would disproportionately affect these students. Without legal protection against bullying and discrimination, LGBTQ+ will be worse off than their peers.

This affects me because I have LGBTQ+ friends that are Virginia students. This will cause them to face unnecessary harm.

For these reasons, I ask you to repeal the 2022 Model Policies and reinstate the 2021 Model Policies.


Unnecessary surveillance!!!

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The 2021 Model Policies allowed school staff to “consider the health and safety of the student in situations where students may not want their parents to know about their gender identity,” a protection that the 2022 Proposed Model Policies remove. While schools are indeed required to comply with FERPA, and parents do have a recognized right to their children’s educational information, those rights are not absolute when they endanger those children’s wellbeing. Further, the 2021 Model Policies permitted disclosure of a student’s gender identity only to other school personnel when there was a legitimate educational interest. The 2022 Model Policies require outing trans students to their parents along with school staff with a legitimate educational interest.

As the 2021 Model Policies acknowledged, disclosing a transgender student's gender identity to an unsupportive family “can pose imminent safety risks, such as losing family support or housing.” A recent study by the Trevor Project reported that 38% of transgender girls, 39% of transgender boys, and 35% of nonbinary youth surveyed had experienced homelessness and housing instability at some point in their lives. ( Homelessness and Housing Instability Among LGBTQ Youth, The Trevor Project, https://www.thetrevorproject.org/research-briefs/homelessness-and-housing-instability-among-lgbtq-youth-feb-2022/.) These rates are disproportionately greater for non-white LGBTQ+ youth. Id. 16% of LGBTQ+ youth reported running away because of fears of abuse, 14% reported that they were kicked out or abandoned by parents or caregivers. Id.

The United States Supreme Court has found that “a State's interest in safeguarding the physical and psychological well-being of a minor is compelling,” and as a result has “sustained legislation aimed at protecting the physical and emotional well-being of youth even when the laws have operated in the sensitive area of constitutionally protected rights.” New York v. Ferber, 458 U.S. 747, 756 (1982).

The new policy could be read to force disclosure of a student’s gender identity even when that disclosure endangers the student.

This is wrong because unnecessary surveillance endangers lives.

This affects me and my peers because it is clear that the Youngkin administration has no desire to protect the rights of marginalized students. If this model policy is passed, you will once again show that privacy, and other fundamental rights, are only reserved for dominant groups.

For these reasons, I ask you to repeal the 2022 Model Policies and reinstate the 2021 Model Policies.


I do not support this

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I am a non-binary student at the University of Virginia and I consider this policy to be a human rights violation to all children who wish to freely explore their identity. This affects all children in Virginia negatively because it prohibits children from receiving LGBTQ+ resources without it being dangerous (must out themselves). For these reasons, I ask you to repeal the 2022 Model Policies and reinstate the 2021 Model Policies.


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The woke mob has steamrolled over girl’s rights in an effort to push their ludicrous agendas. Not only is it unsafe for boys to play on girls sports team but it is also uncompetitive. Girls have lost roster doors to males on their sports teams and scholarships to males as well. Thank you governor for protecting our young female athletes that the left has abandoned.


Strongly Support New Education Policy to Support Parental Care

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<p>The foundational principle of education is to affirm and teach truth. As a Virginia resident, I support the new policies crafted by the Department of Education which affirm the fundamental reality of human nature: men and women are distinct and determined by biological sex which is unalterable. Parents should have complete control over any conversation regarding sexuality with their children. It is not the role or proper function of schools to prey upon minors, without parental knowledge, in distorting reality and teaching the lie that biological sex is amorphous. Virginia tax payers like me deserve to have public schools that respect our natural and innate authority as parents. These guidelines offer some common sense reforms to ensure public schools don’t use vulnerable minors as tools for their activist political agendas. </p>


Bullying and Harassment

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Brandon Licata

Former Virginia Public School Student

4th Year at University of Virginia

10/25/2022

The 2021 Model Policies prohibited “any and all discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on an individual’s actual or perceived . . . sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by law.” The 2021 Model Policies also required that “[a]ny incident or complaint of discrimination, harassment, or bullying shall be given prompt attention” and that “[c]omplaints alleging discrimination, harassment, or bullying based on a student’s actual or perceived gender identity shall be handled in the same manner as other discrimination or harassment complaints.” Finally, the 2021 Model Policies required the establishment of a school contact for both students and parents should the complaint be “not resolved at the school level.”

The 2022 Model Policies make disappointing and harmful changes to bullying, harassment, and discrimination policies. First, it removes the explicit protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. Instead, the only gender identity term it protects explicitly is “sex” which is defined by the 2022 Model Policies as “biological sex.” While the bullying, harassment, and discrimination prohibitions also protect “any other characteristic protected by law,” the removal of sexual orientation and gender identity as explicit categories sends a clear message: VDOE does not care about LGBTQ+ youth being bullied, harassed, or discriminated against.

Second, the 2022 Model Policies require that “[s]chool personnel shall be trained annually on health and mental wellness support to, and safety of, all students.” This is a drastic change from the 2021 Model Policies which required “[a]ll school mental health professionals shall be trained annually on topics relating to LGBTQ+ students, including safety and support for LGBTQ+ students.” The 2022 Model Policies therefore explicitly erase required training for staff on LGBTQ+ health and mental well-being.

Thankfully, the 2022 Model Policies keep the language of the 2021 Model Policies that “[a]ny incident or complaint of discrimination, harassment, or bullying shall be given prompt attention, including investigating the incident and taking appropriate corrective and/or disciplinary action, by the school administrator.” It also keeps the language that “[t]he [School Division’s Designated Contact] shall be available to hear concerns from students and parents when complaints are not resolved at the school level.” It also adds additional language that “[b]ullying of any student by another student, for any reason, cannot be tolerated in our schools. Intervening immediately to stop bullying on the spot can help ensure a safer school environment for all students.”

Stopping bullying for any student is an important goal for Virginia’s K-12 public schools. My concern is that gender identity and sexual orientation are no longer explicitly protected classes under the 2022 Model Policies and that school personnel are no longer required to obtain LGBTQ+ specific health and mental wellness professional development. In fact, it feels like VDOE is bullying the very trans kids they are claiming to protect by removing resources and policies aimed at supporting and protecting them.

This is wrong because Virginia students deserve to be protected to the fullest extent possible by state-wide policies. When young people thrive, the future thrives. This policy arbitrarily harms young people without demonstrating valid reasoning.

This affects our state’s future doctors, teachers, scientists, and more. Students that are subject to bullying and harassment in school will be distracted and unable to learn to their fullest potential. These policies not only sacrifice the mental and physical wellbeing of children, but also their futures.

For these reasons, I ask you to repeal the 2022 Model Policies and reinstate the 2021 Model Policies.


Bias conclusion

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<p>Your decisions are ignorant and biased. Very one sided and encourages hate and discrimination. To be this bigoted in 2022 shows that this side (republicans) are run by old men who are still racist and fascist. You need to do better for the future of the youth and encourage respect and love for everyone, not just who you choose to like and dislike. I hope one day your kids or grandchildren face the impact of your decisions, so you can see the hurt that you serve. </p>


Strongly Oppose, Misguided, Unfounded and Harmful

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<p>The proposed guidance is unfortunately a representation of regressive, unfounded, discriminatory and misguided, if not hateful, rhetoric. It aims to place the misinformed, inaccurate prejudice and fear of some individuals above the human rights, dignity and privacy of their fellow citizens. Do not misunderstand, when a society uses gender as a means of persecution, NO ONE can be safe from having their gender called into question, even those who are cis-gendered. Please, allow this to sink in. This subverts our highest ideals as Americans. Furthermore, the intentional misgendering of an individual is in fact an act of verbal violence; this guidance would encourage and protect such violence from a teacher toward a student. Are we not better than this as Virginians?  Logic, science, empathy and academic study show clearly that the state of being transgender or gender non-binary is not an aberration nor a mental illness, but rather are a variety of perfectly natural states. Those who would believe in divine creation would be insulting the creator in suggesting that this diversity represents error or inferiority, as non-binary gender and indeed intersex anatomy, physiology, and identity occur with regularity.  These states of being propose no threat to any other individual. One need never be embarrassed or ashamed about being transgender, intersex, or gender non-conforming; however to behave dismissively, violently, or to create systematic exclusion based upon fear and misinformation is a shameful and embarrassing act indeed. </p>


Fairfax County's (VA) School Health Advisory Committee Opposes the 2022 Model Policies

Fairfax County Public School's School Health Advisory Committee

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The School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) of the Fairfax County School Board opposes the 2022 Model Policies on the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents in Virginia’s Public Schools (2022 Model Policies). SHAC is a citizen advisory committee that consists of broad-based community representation, including parents, students, health professionals, and educators. SHAC’s purpose is to assist with the development of health policy in Fairfax County Public Schools and to evaluate the status of school health, health education, the school environment, and health services.

For transgender and nonbinary children and youth, access to schools that affirm their identities can be a matter of life or death, and there is no greater health concern than that. Like all students, LGBTQIA+ students can thrive in an environment where they are safe, supported, and affirmed. Tragically, however, far too many transgender and nonbinary youth face rejection, discrimination, bullying, and harassment, which contribute to disproportionate rates of anxiety, depression, and attempted suicide. By removing critical protections for transgender and nonbinary children and youth, the 2022 Model Policies endanger their health, safety, and well-being.

SHAC supports the rights of transgender and nonbinary students to learn in a safe and affirming school environment, and we urge rejection of the 2022 Model Policies.

- School Health Advisory Committee, Fairfax County Public Schools/School Board


I Oppose “Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virginia’s Public Schools”

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<p>To put children in an environment where they are unable to express who they are stunts their emotional well-being. Suppressing feelings of authenticity and personal happiness, more often than not, will lead to mental health issues. This is statistically proven. The Trevor Project is a crisis lifeline for LGBTQ+ youth. In a survey they conducted, 44% of transgender youth accounted for has had thoughts of suicide over the past year. To make matters worse, GLSEN’s conducted survey shows that 75% of transgender youth feel unsafe going to school.  Not allowing transgender students access to a preferred bathroom is going to remind them of the fact that their identity and authentic self is not being respected. This is disrespectful. If schools want to teach students principles of kindness and respect, why shouldn’t it start with the student being respected so that they know how to model that behavior and can truly be happy? Calling a transgender student a name that is not their preferred one or using the pronouns that they do not prefer adds to this disrespect as well as invalidation. A large amount of transgender youth is not open about their identity to family and parents because it could put them into a situation of danger. Multiple accounts of child abuse have been reported due to the parents of a transgender child not validating or accepting the child and, therefore, physically or emotionally abusing them. Transgender students could be carrying this burden, a burden made worse by administration notifying the student’s  parents about their transgender identity when the student themself is not ready to tell their parents in hopes of not getting hurt. Invalidation has also come to students in the form of exclusion from sports. Not allowing a student to play on a sports team of their preferred gender or organize belongings in a category of preferred gender leads to even more feelings of validation and sadness, as they do not feel included the way they would be happy and comfortable with. No school child has an advantage over a school child of another birth sex simply due to their birth sex. Any given child has their own set of strengths and weaknesses. To deny students of this right is to take away from experiences of fun, innocent sports games. If the emotional well being and mental health of students is a priority, this bill should not be put into place. It can lead to harm inflicted on the student either by themself or their unaccepting peers and family.  </p>


Support for Governor Youngkin’s Transgender Policies

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I strongly support Governor Youngkin‘s transgender issue policies for Virginia schools. His policies guarantee parents have the right to decide what is best for their child(ren) in reference to gender dysphoria. Governor Youngkin’s policies will protect girls in vulnerable situations in locker rooms and bathrooms. And protect girls sports programs.


Horrible Policy )-:

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The 2021 Model Policies prohibited “any and all discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on an individual’s actual or perceived . . . sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by law.” The 2021 Model Policies also required that “[a]ny incident or complaint of discrimination, harassment, or bullying shall be given prompt attention” and that “[c]omplaints alleging discrimination, harassment, or bullying based on a student’s actual or perceived gender identity shall be handled in the same manner as other discrimination or harassment complaints.” Finally, the 2021 Model Policies required the establishment of a school contact for both students and parents should the complaint be “not resolved at the school level.”

The 2022 Model Policies make disappointing and harmful changes to bullying, harassment, and discrimination policies. First, it removes the explicit protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. Instead, the only gender identity term it protects explicitly is “sex” which is defined by the 2022 Model Policies as “biological sex.” While the bullying, harassment, and discrimination prohibitions also protect “any other characteristic protected by law,” the removal of sexual orientation and gender identity as explicit categories sends a clear message: VDOE does not care about LGBTQ+ youth being bullied, harassed, or discriminated against.

Second, the 2022 Model Policies require that “[s]chool personnel shall be trained annually on health and mental wellness support to, and safety of, all students.” This is a drastic change from the 2021 Model Policies which required “[a]ll school mental health professionals shall be trained annually on topics relating to LGBTQ+ students, including safety and support for LGBTQ+ students.” The 2022 Model Policies therefore explicitly erase required training for staff on LGBTQ+ health and mental well-being.

Thankfully, the 2022 Model Policies keep the language of the 2021 Model Policies that “[a]ny incident or complaint of discrimination, harassment, or bullying shall be given prompt attention, including investigating the incident and taking appropriate corrective and/or disciplinary action, by the school administrator.” It also keeps the language that “[t]he [School Division’s Designated Contact] shall be available to hear concerns from students and parents when complaints are not resolved at the school level.” It also adds additional language that “[b]ullying of any student by another student, for any reason, cannot be tolerated in our schools. Intervening immediately to stop bullying on the spot can help ensure a safer school environment for all students.”

Stopping bullying for any student is an important goal for Virginia’s K-12 public schools. My concern is that gender identity and sexual orientation are no longer explicitly protected classes under the 2022 Model Policies and that school personnel are no longer required to obtain LGBTQ+ specific health and mental wellness professional development. In fact, it feels like VDOE is bullying the very trans kids they are claiming to protect by removing resources and policies aimed at supporting and protecting them.

This is wrong because trans students are students too. They are kids! Nobody deserves to feel horrible based upon their identity. They aren't predatory. They are kids trying to live their own lives. Literally let them live.

This affects me because I care about my peers, and I know that if I were in this situation I would feel incredibly helpless and failed by my government. This policy will literally cause direct harm to thousands of trans youth across Virginia, leading to an increase in trans suicide rates. The blood will be on your hands.

For these reasons, I ask you to repeal the 2022 Model Policies and reinstate the 2021 Model Policies.


Strongly oppose youngkin's proposed changes.

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The changes proposed go against best medical advice.


This is a poor choice.

A school board's first and foremost interest should be in raising our future and allowing our leaders of tomorrow to grow and mature as individuals. Some parents may dislike the idea of transgender students being allowed to be themselves, but it is a necessary part of growing up and finding one's own identity. To force a strictly binary ideology on students who may not fit into these categories is harmful and will only cause more problems down the line for everyone, and "outing" these students to parents who may not be supportive, or downright abusive, is the worst possible notion one could put forth in law. This act would be highly discriminatory against the transgender youths, and transgender community as a whole, considering they are indeed a minority in Virginia. Furthermore, the notion that any of this is brought on by some "transgender agenda" or "forced trans ideology" is pure nonsense - the transgender and LGBT+ community is majorly open and accepting, not overbearing and intrusive as commonly portrayed by certain political denominations and purposefully confused religious groups. I would argue that this is a move towards attacking and silencing a minority that people who refuse to embrace change and societal evolution are afraid of. Just as previous stereotypes against minorities have been majorly disproved by the continued evolution of acceptance in society, I hope that so too shall this be seen in the coming years for the LGBT+ community. This proposition, in its entirety, is a large step backwards and overall a very poor choice to implement.The manufactured-through-legislature silencing of any minority group who poses absolutely no harm towards the greater populous should be considered a crime.

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A school board's first and foremost interest should be in raising our future and allowing our leaders of tomorrow to grow and mature as individuals. Some parents may dislike the idea of transgender students being allowed to be themselves, but it is a necessary part of growing up and finding one's own identity. To force a strictly binary ideology on students who may not fit into these categories is harmful and will only cause more problems down the line for everyone, and "outing" these students to parents who may not be supportive, or downright abusive, is the worst possible notion one could put forth in law. This act would be highly discriminatory against the transgender youths, and transgender community as a whole, considering they are indeed a minority in Virginia. Furthermore, the notion that any of this is brought on by some "transgender agenda" or "forced trans ideology" is pure nonsense - the transgender and LGBT+ community is majorly open and accepting, not overbearing and intrusive as commonly portrayed by certain political denominations and purposefully confused religious groups. I would argue that this is a move towards attacking and silencing a minority that people who refuse to embrace change and societal evolution are afraid of. Just as previous stereotypes against minorities have been majorly disproved by the continued evolution of acceptance in society, I hope that so too shall this be seen in the coming years for the LGBT+ community. This proposition, in its entirety, is a large step backwards and overall a very poor choice to implement.

The manufactured-through-legislature silencing of any minority group who poses absolutely no harm towards the greater populous should be considered a crime.


What kind of precedent does this set for future policies - OPPOSE

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As a Virginia student, I strongly oppose this bill. What kind of precedent would this set for future model policies down the road? If eroding trans rights is a first step, what is the next? What does this mean for the rest of the LGBTQ community?


Restore Parental Rights

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Defend the rights of parents to be primary educator of their children. I fully support this policy. Thank you Governor Youngkin.


Strongly oppose.


Strongly oppose removal of LGBTQ+ resources

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The 2021 Model Policies contained over sixty resources for the treatment of trans students in Virginia’s K-12 public schools. The resources provided considered the needs of school divisions, professional development, students, parents, and advocacy organizations. The sources provided were up-to-date and many centered on trans students’ needs in particular, drawing from LGBTQ+ organizations such as GLSEN, the Human Rights Campaign, the Trevor Project, the National Center for Transgender Equality, and PFLAG. The resources provided in the 2021 Model Policies also drew from professional associations and government agencies such as the American Psychological Association, the Virginia School Boards Association, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Department of Education.

However, the 2022 Model Policies removed essentially all the above resources. Instead, they replaced the other resources with nine resources focused almost entirely on the parental roles in bullying prevention. Eight of these resources come from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, largely from the Centers for Disease Control in particular. The other resource comes from the U.S. Department of Justice. The 2022 Model Policies do not contain a single resource from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, and none are tailored specifically toward trans students.

Preventing the bullying of all students, especially trans students, is an incredibly important goal for Virginia’s public schools. However, it is not the only issue that trans students face. By removing all resources from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups in the 2022 Model Policies, VDOE sends its message loud and clear: it cares more about the parent’s role in bullying prevention, and not at all about the resources it can provide trans and other LGBTQ+ students in navigating bullying, harassment, and discrimination.

This is an issue because not all parents are in a position to advocate for their students. Under the 2022 model policies with its emphasis on parents’ rights, students whose parents will not or cannot get involved with their school lives are disproportionately at risk of being left behind. For example, immigrant parents who do not speak fluent English may struggle to get involved with their children’s school lives, which negates their ability to help their child through instances of bullying. Removing resources for students, and specifically LGBTQ+ students, to seek assistance on their own after facing discrimination is harmful and inconsiderate. It is important to note that LGBTQ students are 4 times as likely to drop out of school, and one-third of LGBTQ students do not receive a high school diploma. These statistics hurt not only the students themselves, but the state as a whole. Education is a priority that we can all agree on, and at the very least, all students have a right to feel safe as they pursue their studies.

This affects me as a University of Virginia student and it affects friends of mine who remain in the Virginia K-12 public school system. If enforced, the 2022 Model Policies will leave vulnerable students without the resources they need.

For these reasons, I ask you to repeal the 2022 Model Policies and reinstate the 2021 Model Policies.


I do not support the 2022 model policies

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I am a college student here in Virginia and have lived here all my life. I have had the pleasure of meeting and interacting with a diverse group of students throughout my time in Virginia schooling, some of whom are trans, and my younger sibling herself is trans. If you have not had much interaction with trans kids and teenagers, let me tell you that they are like any other teenagers- trying to figure out who they are and in need of a safe space with which to experiment. This experimenting affects only themselves and their presentation. If teenagers are meant to make career decisions and make huge choices like what college to attend and what major to study, they certainly should be trusted with such a personal introspective decision as choosing what pronouns they prefer.

The 2022 policy has many aspects that feel contradictory and ill-thought out. For example, the Grimm case where a trans boy in Virginia won a court case saying that he should be able to use whichever bathroom he preferred is referenced in the same line as teachers are instructed to enforce students using only the bathroom associated with their assigned gender, an act which would be illegal under the Grimm ruling. Additionally, the possibility of enforcing separate gym uniforms by gender ignores the possibility of students that cannot wear certain uniforms because of religious reasons, such as islamic students. As the freedom of religion is one protected under the constitution, any rule that requires for example students assigned the gender female at birth to wear short shorts or a skirt as part of an athletic uniform would go against a muslim girl's rights. Additionally, the ruling on nicknames only being allowed if they are clearly related to one's birth name brings upon unforseen consequences. I have friends who are of Asian descent that have names in different languages and choose to angelicize their names for school, for example Wala becomes Hannah. These substitutions should not require parental approval. Additionally, some students may wish to go by a nickname derived from their last name or middle name.

Beyond these specific issues, I think that there is a great misunderstanding about the weight of these choices. It is perfectly natural for a child who has been called one name all their life to want to try something new at school at an attempt to understand themselves better, and I cannot see the difference between a Michael wanting to go by Mike and an Anthony wanting to go by Alice. If the fear around trans teens is that they will make a change too hastily, the wonderful news is that pronouns and names are easily changed! These rules would not support these teens but rather restrict them. I have seen people I know become visibly happier when referred to by names and pronouns that they prefer, and if the wellbeing of children is the true focus of this ruling, I would turn to data on depression and suicide rates in trans people who are not given support. Your rulings will not stop trans people from existing, it will only stop students from feeling safe at their school.

For these reasons, I ask you to repeal the 2022 Model Policies and reinstate the 2021 Model Policies.


Reject proposed guidelines

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We are parents of two children who spent the entirety of their K-12 years in the Virginia public schools. During their time, the state did not require teachers to out transgender students to their parents, prohibit transgender students from accessing sex-separated facilities or organizations based on their gender identity, or give license to school employees to misgender transgender students. Our kids and their contemporaries have a far healthier and accepting understanding of gender and sexuality differences than we did as students decades ago – because they were not taught to tolerate, or actively participate in, hate. These new proposed guidelines, by contrast, make hate part of the public school curriculum. They should be rejected completely.

The proposed guidelines are unlawful. Virginia law requires guidelines to set out model policies that protect transgender students’ privacy; prohibit discrimination, harassment, and bullying against such students; and ensure “participation in sex-specific school activities, events, and use of school facilities.” The model policies established in the proposal fails to achieve any of these required standards.

The proposed guidelines also disregard the best available research, flouting the requirement that they consist of “evidence-based best practices.” The following facts, presented in the publication Schools In Transition: A Guide for Supporting Transgender Students in K-12 Schools (https://www.nclrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Schools-in-Transition-2015-Online.pdf), illustrate the importance of an educational environment that thoughtfully and compassionately supports transgender students:

“The consequences of not affirming a child’s gender identity can be severe, and it can interfere with their ability to develop and maintain healthy interpersonal relationships. In the school context, that distress will also hinder a transgender student’s focus in class and ability to learn. The longer a transgender youth is not affirmed, the more significant and long-lasting the negative consequences can become, including loss of interest in school, heightened risk for alcohol and drug use, poor mental health and suicide.”

“Every day, students in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and Washington — and at scores of individual schools across the nation — attend schools that respect and affirm transgender students by providing them access to the restrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity. *** In early 2015, Media Matters for America contacted officials at the largest school districts in 12 states that have laws protecting transgender students, and not a single one reported ‘any incidences of harassment or inappropriate behavior’ as a result of ‘allowing transgender students to access facilities they’re comfortable with.’”

“When the speaker is an educator or administrator, using the student’s chosen name and pronoun also models and sets expectations for the school community. Although seemingly minor, these simple actions can have a profound effect on the student’s experience. Conversely, intentionally using a transgender student’s prior name and associated pronouns will make that student feel unsafe and unwelcome, and will interfere with their ability to learn.”

“Unfortunately, transgender youth experience high levels of family rejection. Lack of family support can have a detrimental effect on their short- and long-term mental health and well-being. Research on family rejection of lesbian, gay and bisexual youth has shown that ‘high levels of parental pressure to try to change an adolescent’s gender expression to enforce gender conformity is related to high levels of depression, a nearly four times greater likelihood of attempted suicide and illegal drug use, and being more than twice as likely to put oneself at high risk for HIV.’ These findings are also applicable to transgender youth who also experience high rates of family rejection for the same reasons families often reject lesbian, gay and bisexual youth — namely their inability to conform to stereotypes associated with their sex assigned at birth.”

Not so long ago, when the grandparents of children in Virginia schools today were themselves students, Virginia inhumanely discriminated against Black students and fought to maintain that discrimination long after Brown v. Board of Education. Governor Youngkin would do well to remember and learn from that history, rather than steer Virginia down the same road of division and hatred by weaponizing school policies against a minority of students.

Sincerely,

Jon Devine & Sharyn Tejani

Arlington


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My name is Sofia Marrero and I am a student at the University of Virginia. I strongly oppose the 2022 Model Policies, as they are extremely transphobic and do not take into account the safety of transgender students.

The 2021 Model Policies allowed school staff to “consider the health and safety of the student in situations where students may not want their parents to know about their gender identity,” a protection that the 2022 Proposed Model Policies remove. While schools are indeed required to comply with FERPA, and parents do have a recognized right to their children’s educational information, those rights are not absolute when they endanger those children’s wellbeing. Further, the 2021 Model Policies permitted disclosure of a student’s gender identity only to other school personnel when there was a legitimate educational interest. The 2022 Model Policies require outing trans students to their parents along with school staff with a legitimate educational interest.

As the 2021 Model Policies acknowledged, disclosing a transgender student's gender identity to an unsupportive family “can pose imminent safety risks, such as losing family support or housing.” A recent study by the Trevor Project reported that 38% of transgender girls, 39% of transgender boys, and 35% of nonbinary youth surveyed had experienced homelessness and housing instability at some point in their lives. ( Homelessness and Housing Instability Among LGBTQ Youth, The Trevor Project, https://www.thetrevorproject.org/research-briefs/homelessness-and-housing-instability-among-lgbtq-youth-feb-2022/.) These rates are disproportionately greater for non-white LGBTQ+ youth. Id. 16% of LGBTQ+ youth reported running away because of fears of abuse, 14% reported that they were kicked out or abandoned by parents or caregivers. Id.

The United States Supreme Court has found that “a State's interest in safeguarding the physical and psychological well-being of a minor is compelling,” and as a result has “sustained legislation aimed at protecting the physical and emotional well-being of youth even when the laws have operated in the sensitive area of constitutionally protected rights.” New York v. Ferber, 458 U.S. 747, 756 (1982).

The new policy could be read to force disclosure of a student’s gender identity even when that disclosure endangers the student.

This is wrong because families of transgender students may not be supportive, and the policies stated above put those individuals directly in situations where they may be harmed. The 2022 Model Policies do not protect students’ decisions on whether to come out or not. This monumental decision is placed in the hands of school officials, regardless of the impact it may have. The term “legitimate educational interest” is also not defined, which will result in a significantly broad interpretation as to who may be considered to have such an interest.

This affects transgender students in schools all across Virginia. Transgender students will be forced into unsafe situations with no resources available to them. A student has their own reasons for deciding whether or not to come out, and schools overstep their authority when they make this decision for these students.

For these reasons, I ask you to repeal the 2022 Model Policies and reinstate the 2021 Model Policies.


Oppose the 2022 Model Policies

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I strongly oppose the 2022 Model Policies and would like to request that the Virginia Department of Education reinstate the 2021 Model Policies. I am a trans man. I came out as transgender when I was a senior in high school going to school in the state of Virginia. My mother was very unsupportive when I first came out as transgender, and this created a very toxic environment at home. I was very lucky to have a safe space at school where I was able to fully express who I am. I received help from my guidance counselor who helped me feel safe, respected, and confident in myself. She allowed me space to grow and discover who I truly am without imposing her own personal beliefs on me or restricting my ability to express myself. Additionally, my theatre teacher was incredibly supportive. He immediately respected my change in name and pronouns and even cast me in male roles in theatre productions.

This truly allowed me to explore my gender identity and come into my own. Something I don't think people talk about often enough is gender euphoria, also known as trans joy. It is a feeling of self-love, confidence, comfort, and happiness when something makes us feel affirmed in our gender identity. Being able to play male roles in theatre allowed me to feel that gender euphoria. This drastically improved my mental health and my quality of life, which was suffering at the time due to the lack of safety and acceptance I was experiencing at home.

Above all else, school is supposed to be a safe place for children to learn, grow, and discover themselves. The 2022 Model Policies proposed by the Youngkin administration will strip that away from transgender and gender-nonconforming students. This is discrimination because it does not afford transgender and gender-nonconforming students the same freedoms at school as cisgender students and treats them as less than their cisgender peers.

Please do not instate the 2022 Model Policies. They are incredibly harmful to the psychological well being of transgender students. Reinstate the 2021 Model Policies.


Support

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I fully support the Proposed Model Policy that provides Virginia Parents and legal guardians appropriate rights to be notified and involved in their children's and dependents education. Children who's parents or legal guardians do not support and respect their childs sexual orientation or preferred identify should be referred by the School to Virginia Child Protective Services, just as they would a physical abuse case/issue. Schools are intended to Educate, and should not be granted the right or authority to withhold information about children or determine what information is shared with Parents or legal guardians. Child protective services is the appropriate agency to create and enforce policies related to protecting children and their right to determine and have respected their own preferred identify.


Proposed Policy Erases the Inherent Humanity of Transgender and Nonbinary Students

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The erasure begins in the title. The document purported to replace Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students at Schools has been relabeled as Model Policies for the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents in Virginia’s Public Schools.

In the main text, except when citing the relevant section of the Code of Virginia or the title of the 2021 guidelines, transgender appears only five times in 12 pages: twice in the purpose statement, twice in legal references, and once in terminology. It's as if the authors are going out of their way not to say the word. Not even any of titles or descriptions of the listed resources focus on transgender students.

In the terminology section, a transgender student is defined as “a public school student whose parent has requested in writing, due to their child’s persistent and sincere belief that his or her gender differs with his or her sex, that their child be so identified while at school” – as if the student does not exist as a transgender human being until their parent writes a note to the school.

The authors are even more thorough about erasing the inherent humanity of nonbinary students. The word nonbinary does not appear anywhere, as if students who identify as nonbinary don’t attend Virginia schools. As reflected in the previous quote, they restrict recognized pronouns to “his or her” and painstakingly avoid using “they” in relation to students. Even in the portion of III.D.4 of the sample policy about parents who wish to instruct the school to address their child by a name and/or pronouns different than those in the student’s official record, the authors refer to a situation in which “the student’s gender differs from his or her sex.” They do not even respect nonbinary students or their parents enough to write his/her/their in a sentence about the parents' wishes.

Through their calculated omission of nonbinary students, the authors appear to be suggesting that teachers and administrators ignore their existence. How does this reflect “Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents”? On the contrary, this erasure hurts and disrespects nonbinary students and their parents - and will cause further pain if it persists in the revised edition.

The sample policy includes the following statement: “Every effort should be made to ensure that a transgender student wishing to change his or her means of address is treated with respect, compassion, and dignity in the classroom and school environment.” If this was intended as something other than cruel irony, then modeling such “respect, compassion, and dignity” for transgender and nonbinary students in these proposed policies would have been a logical place to start.


Strongly Oppose the 2022 Model Policies

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After reviewing the proposed 2022 Model Policies, this legislation is extremely wrong and harmful towards the class of trans and LGBTQ youth that the VDOE claims to protect.

Specifically under bullying, harassment, and discrimination policies, the 2022 Model Policies removes the clear and explicit language that protects sexual orientation and gender identity of students. By omitting previously included gender inclusive terms, and only providing the term "sex," which is defined as biological sex, the VDOE is leaving dangerous gray area that makes it shockingly clear that the protection of students who belong within the category of LGBTQ+ is unimportant.

As a graduate from the Henrico County Public School System, I witnessed a wide range of progress being made in support of my trans and LGBTQ peers within the school building. Professional workshops were held for staff and teachers in order to learn how to best support their students who belonged to this vulnerable group, in addition to providing counseling and psychological resources for students in need of support and community. Omitting this explicit language in 2022 allows for the loss of these vital resources that supports an at-risk student population

The Virginia K-12 public school system cares deeply about preventing bullying and harassment, but this goal can only be achieved by protecting the rights of all students, including those in the LGBTQ+ community.

For these reasons, I ask you to repeal the 2022 Model Policies and reinstate the 2021 Model Policies.


THANKS for PROTECTING PARENTAL RIGHTS

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<p>This policy honors parents as the primary educators and caregivers for their children. To that end, I support it whole-heartedly. </p>


Strongly Oppose Youngkin’s Policy

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As someone from the LGBTQIA community and as a parent of a student in Fairfax County Public Schools, I oppose the “model” policies that are being considered for implementation at the school level. The governor does not speak for me and my family.  Frankly, I haven’t heard him say much of anything outside of political grandstanding. There have been no signs of governance from this administration and this is just another political stunt by this governor and the National GOP to scare and terrorize its citizens.  Do what’s right for Virginians and not for GOP brownie points on the national level.


Opposition to 2022 model policies on the basis of arbitrary and outdated terminology

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The 2022 Model Policies define far fewer terms regarding gender identity than the 2021 Model Policies. The 2021 Model Policies defined eleven scientifically-backed and LGBTQ+-inclusive terms surrounding gender identity. The 2022 Model Policies define only two terms regarding gender identity: “sex” and “transgender student.”

Neither of these definitions meet the evidence-based best practices as is required in Va. Code § 22.1-23.3(A). Sex is defined as “biological sex” in the 2022 Model Policies. The 2022 Model Policies also define “transgender student” as “a public school student whose parent has requested in writing, due to their child’s persistent and sincere belief that his or her gender differs with his or her sex, that their child be so identified while at school.” Both these definitions use outdated and scientifically incorrect terminology in defining the trans identity. The 2022 Model Policies’ definitions and terminology cannot meet the evidence-based best practices requirement.

Notably, the 2022 Model Policies define being trans as depending on parents’ recognition instead of the student’s self-identification. They further call being trans the student’s “belief” which reinforces the false narrative that being trans is a choice as opposed to a deeply held knowledge and realization of one’s identity. It further operates on a male/female binary by using the term “his or her” that is demonstrably and scientifically false as it erases the existence of intersex and nonbinary people. This shift in definitions completely strips trans children of the self-determination of their identity in Virginia’s public schools.

This is wrong because these policies will significantly change the landscape for personhood in Virginia. It is not the business of our government to decide who is allowed to be themselves and how they are allowed to express that. For a government which prioritizes personal freedom and individual liberties

This affects a close friend of mine who live their entire school career unable to express who they are anywhere except at school. When at home, they were unable to express their personal identity for fear of being removed from their home by their parents. If these policies are enacted this person would have been unable to be themselves in this way at school, thus setting them back in personal development. How can a government that claims to care for the independence and intelligence of its citizens, including its minors, then restrict their ability to be themselves?

For these reasons, I ask you to repeal the 2022 Model Policies and reinstate the 2021 Model Policies.


I oppose the 2022 Model Policies

Christian Ephriam, University of Virginia

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My name is Christian Ephriam and I am a lifelong Virginia resident and alumnus of the Virginia public schools. I am staunchly opposed to the transphobic and inhumane 2022 Model Policies.

The 2021 Model Policies unequivocally required students to provide access to facilities, such as bathroom and locker rooms, corresponding with their gender identity. Additionally, the 2021 Model Policies required schools to provide, upon request from any student voicing privacy concerns, access to single-use/gender-inclusive facilities or another reasonable accommodation. These policies aligned with federal law which requires schools to allow students to use facilities corresponding with their gender identity.

The 2022 Model Policies blatantly violate federal law. See, e.g., Grimm v. Gloucester Cty. Sch. Bd., 972 F.3d 586 (4th Cir. 2020). These policies require students to use locker rooms, bathrooms, overnight travel accommodations, and other intimate spaces based upon their “biological sex.” Practically, this violation means trans students will be subject to humiliation, harassment, and even violence by using a facility that does not align with their gender identity. Not to mention, this will force certain trans students to out themselves by using a school facility they have likely not used in years.

The 2022 Model Policies require that access to facilities be made in respect to federal law, but blatantly contradict them. For example, the 2022 Model Policies require bathroom access based on “biological sex” as indicated by the student’s record which is in direct opposition to Grimm. The 2022 Model Policies require districts to break the law while trying to save face and tell them to follow it within the very same paragraphs.

This is wrong because it exposes trans students to undue mental stress and strips them of their agency by forcing them to use facilities incongruent with their gender identity. Furthermore, the 2022 Model Policy outright contradicts itself by restricting bathroom access on the basis of so-called “biological sex” while also suggesting that schools must comply with the Grimm v. Cloucester County School Board decision.

This affects numerous queer and trans individuals in my community by stripping them of their rights and imposing illegal, illogical, and blatantly vague regulations and guidelines upon them.

For these reasons, I ask you to repeal the 2022 Model Policies and reinstate the 2021 Model Policies.


Strongly Support Governor’s changes

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I strongly support our governor’s proposal to remove the draconian policies of our previous governor. Parents do know their children better than some hired, self-serving councilor. Public schools are confusing places, and children ought to be given proper guidance on the dignity of their human self. Girls should only use girl bathrooms, boys should only use boy bathrooms. Parents are given the duty to name their children, and those names (and associated pronouns) should be used to identify the child. Keep our families intact and family destroying policies out of public schools and away from our children!


Strongly Oppose Harming any Youth

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The adoption of ANY policy of this nature will result in rampant violations of the rights of and inflict serious harm on transgender and nonbinary students.

All students should be safe, welcomed, and included in Virginia’s and any public schools. The VDOE must reject and rescind these policies in their entirety.
please protect all children and create an environment where everyone is supported in their educational journey.


I support trans students and oppose this bill

Kathy Carpenter Brown, Sussex Pride, TransLiance

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I support all children being treated equally. We must strive to encourage diversity, promote inclusion and value acceptance. Children just want to be with their friends. The myths about bathroom use is just that a myth. No child should ever be excluded from sports. I don’t care which team they want to compete on they should be encouraged to do so.? Team work knows no gender. Fairness can not be achieved by alienating those you don’t find acceptable. Inclusion can not be achieved through alienation.

In areas where transgender students are not accepted the attempted suicide rate is over 40% and growing. In areas where they are accepted suicide rates are the same as other groups. Stop killing kids!


OPPOSE

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<p>As the parent of a transgender child, you have put vulnerable children in the crosshairs of a rabid group who fear what they don't understand. And regarding parental reporting you have used a sledgehammer where a scalpel was needed. Homelessness among LGTBQ+ teens is exponentially higher than hetero teens because of family rejection. And your strategy was cynical and so clever- Pick a group that can't even stick their necks out and fight for their rights lest they be ostracized or threatened!  These kids don't want to politicize their issue. They just want to be left alone, go to school, make  friends. Have the nornmal experience. You have ruined that for them. </p>


Strongly oppose Gov Youngkin’s discriminatory policy

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<p>Transgender and non-binary students deserve to feel supported and protected at school. This marginalized student population have equal rights. Legally and morally I oppose Governor Youngkin’s discriminatory student policy. </p>


Strongly Oppose 2022 Model Policies

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The 2021 Model Policies unequivocally required students to provide access to facilities, such as bathroom and locker rooms, corresponding with their gender identity. Additionally, the 2021 Model Policies required schools to provide, upon request from any student voicing privacy concerns, access to single-use/gender-inclusive facilities or another reasonable accommodation. These policies aligned with federal law which requires schools to allow students to use facilities corresponding with their gender identity.

The 2022 Model Policies blatantly violate federal law. See, e.g., Grimm v. Gloucester Cty. Sch. Bd., 972 F.3d 586 (4th Cir. 2020). These policies require students to use locker rooms, bathrooms, overnight travel accommodations, and other intimate spaces based upon their “biological sex.” Practically, this violation means trans students will be subject to humiliation, harassment, and even violence by using a facility that does not align with their gender identity. Not to mention, this will force certain trans students to out themselves by using a school facility they have likely not used in years.

The 2022 Model Policies require that access to facilities be made in respect to federal law, but blatantly contradict them. For example, the 2022 Model Policies require bathroom access based on “biological sex” as indicated by the student’s record which is in direct opposition to Grimm. The 2022 Model Policies require districts to break the law while trying to save face and tell them to follow it within the very same paragraphs.

This is wrong because it clearly violates the Grimm decision, which the 2022 model says that it upholds.

This affects my family and friends in the LGBTQ+ and trangender community by unfairly forcing them to adhere to binary “male” and “female” standards. This affects their mental wellbeing, as well as their right to privacy.

For these reasons, I ask you to repeal the 2022 Model Policies and reinstate the 2021 Model Policies.


OPPOSE: BOD should not bully kids

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<p>We have a trans kid who we love unconditionally. The majority of parents with trans kids love them as well. We don’t want our kids to be bullied by the BOEd, the teachers or other students. No parent wants their kid to be bullied, beat up or harassed in a bathroom or locker room. This bill risk real harm to kids- physically and mentally. The comments here are heartbreaking. I can’t imagine that I live somewhere where so many Virginians hate my sweet lovable child, just for existing. Please don’t let the schools embody this hate. </p>


100% approve 2022 model policies

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Please pass no boys in girls locker room or let boys be on girls teams. Thank you for letting parents be parents


In opposition to the bill against trans students.

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<p>This action would prevent students from living freely and put them in danger at home. Why are republicans so obsessed with the genitalia and gender expression of children? Let them be who they want. </p>


You are the best governor ever. Thank you for protecting our children from the woke mob.

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<p>We finally have an adult in the room. Thank you for fighting for our children. The woke mob has been running these school boards with their indoctrinating agendas. The cutrtains have been lifted and we now know what our school boards have been up to. Thank you for handing power back to the parents. </p>


I oppose the proposed policy regarding transgender youth

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<p>I believe that the governor's proposed policy marginalizes a subset of young people in our society. We should not be trying to separate any group of young people from the society at large. In this particular situation, the transgender youth are already victims of discrimination and isolation. This leads to higher rates of suicide and mental illness. And our governor wants to have them jump through even more hoops in order to "protect" our schools from these people?!?!? And at the end of the day, this is just a political stunt on the part of our ambitious governor who has his eyes on higher office. Shame on him. </p>