agree - more sympathizers than actual people who TRULY struggle with this issue

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Sympathize away.  Believe it or not, my family has sympathy for the plight of the authentically struggling trans kid.  I wish I could tell each one God doesn't make a mistake - therefore they are not mistakes.  So wait it out, see how life unfolds.  Don't be in such a rush to presume you can fix it.  Meanwhile these sympathizers think they're being helpful when really taking the parent support away is decimating any healing, and chances at happiness.  Someone unhappy and suicidal now = chemicals and surgery is not going to fix anything fr that child.  So why do you want to remove parents from the convcersation?  So wrong.  Such misguided sympathy.


The Hispanic community whole heartedly supports keeping children safe and this policy

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<p>Governor Youngkin, on behalf of the Hispanic community, I want you to know that we support you. I do not know one Hispanic family that thinks we should have mixed bathrooms and boys playing on girls sports teams. We will continue to support you in your efforts to keep our children safe. Thank you. </p>


More people sympathize with than actually suffer from transgenderism - I support

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More people SYMPATHIZE with the plight of the proverbial trans student than there are actual students who suffer from transgenderism.  Those same sympathizers verbally attack and do what they can do demoralize and destroy anyone who disagrees with them.  If we could leave NoVA we would.  But we can't.  Until then Gov Youngkin you have my gratitude and you are a sanity check for me.


I support legislation to keep boys out of girls shower rooms, bathrooms, and locker rooms.

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If you don’t support keeping school aged boys out of school age girls bathrooms and locker rooms then you are a pervert. Period.


Academics are going down the toilet in both bathrooms.

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<p>VDOE Transgender policies are a train wreck and a waste of time and effort better spent concentrating on academics. I support Governor Youngkin’s proposed changes. Gender and sexual orientation have no place in algebra, phonics, spelling, geography, etc. The US public education system is falling  behind academically while we waste time on these types of political arguments. Ironically, a better educated population should be better equipped to determine which bathroom correlates with their biological gender. </p>


Terrible,Cruel Policy

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<p>I oppose this model policy. It is awful. Please focus on constructive policies to help students. </p>


I support Governor Youngkin

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Parents have a legal responsibility for the welfare and actions of their children and must be included in any discussion about their children.  Teachers/educators should not be allowed to interfere with parent's rights and responsibilities for their children regardless of the issue.


Strongly oppose this garbage policy

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Trans kids have the right to choose how, when, and to whom they come out. The government should not make that choice for them.


Strongly Opposed to this new policy

I strongly oppose this new policy which will only further serve to discriminate against and harass transgender students.  It certainly will not create a "safe and supportive learning environment" when a student cannot use names and pronouns that align with their gender identities.  Science and psychology support the existence of transgender individuals, despite what some insist regarding "biology and there are only two sexes."  Students should be supported by teachers; sometimes students find it safer to discuss their identity development with teachers first, rather than their parents.  I'm not sure the policy developers understand the terror a transgender child feels about their parents the truth about their identity and who they have determined themselves to be, no matter how loving their parents and apparently outwardly supportive.  Some students need the love and support of teachers first, before telling their parents.  This policy rips that option from them and forces teachers to 'out' students.   My transgender student was able to come to me because of the support he first received from teachers.
Furthermore, this policy is overly discriminatory because it is treating one class of individuals differently solely due to their identity.  Transgender students are subjected to unnecessary hoops to jump through to be their true selves.  They will not have access to sports teams or other activities simply because of their identity, something they cannot change, just like you cannot change skin color.  And you will be allowing teachers and other adults to treat transgender students with disrespect and harassment by allowing them to avoid using the pronouns and names that the transgender student wants to use, simply because of their strongly held religious beliefs.  Such practices certainly do NOT promote "ensur(ing) 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" as stated in the draft policy.  At some point, someone's strongly held religious beliefs have to have an endpoint, when they infringe on others' rights and dignity.Transgender kids just want to go to school and the bathroom in peace.  These new draft model policies do not promote that.  They will out students who haven't had their legal documents changed yet.  They will draw more attention to transgender students and mark them as 'other' to be teased and demeaned by peers.  Despite the policy saying 'no bullying is tolerated,' it has been happening and continues to happen with impunity especially in relation to transgender and other LGBTQ students.

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I strongly oppose this new policy which will only further serve to discriminate against and harass transgender students.  It certainly will not create a "safe and supportive learning environment" when a student cannot use names and pronouns that align with their gender identities.  Science and psychology support the existence of transgender individuals, despite what some insist regarding "biology and there are only two sexes."  Students should be supported by teachers; sometimes students find it safer to discuss their identity development with teachers first, rather than their parents.  I'm not sure the policy developers understand the terror a transgender child feels about their parents the truth about their identity and who they have determined themselves to be, no matter how loving their parents and apparently outwardly supportive.  Some students need the love and support of teachers first, before telling their parents.  This policy rips that option from them and forces teachers to 'out' students.   My transgender student was able to come to me because of the support he first received from teachers.

Furthermore, this policy is overly discriminatory because it is treating one class of individuals differently solely due to their identity.  Transgender students are subjected to unnecessary hoops to jump through to be their true selves.  They will not have access to sports teams or other activities simply because of their identity, something they cannot change, just like you cannot change skin color.  And you will be allowing teachers and other adults to treat transgender students with disrespect and harassment by allowing them to avoid using the pronouns and names that the transgender student wants to use, simply because of their strongly held religious beliefs.  Such practices certainly do NOT promote "ensur(ing) 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" as stated in the draft policy.  At some point, someone's strongly held religious beliefs have to have an endpoint, when they infringe on others' rights and dignity.

Transgender kids just want to go to school and the bathroom in peace.  These new draft model policies do not promote that.  They will out students who haven't had their legal documents changed yet.  They will draw more attention to transgender students and mark them as 'other' to be teased and demeaned by peers.  Despite the policy saying 'no bullying is tolerated,' it has been happening and continues to happen with impunity especially in relation to transgender and other LGBTQ students.


Support Younkin's Policies for the Treatment of All Students in Virginia’s Public Schools

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<p>I believe all children should be required to use the bathroom identified by gender as indicated on their birth certificate. </p>
<p> </p>


I support all Legislation supporting Parental Authority.

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I support Younkin. There is no anti-Trans hate in schools, just parents wanting to be parents.


Gender Separation according to natural birth a positive!

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STRONGLY SUPPORT THIS LEGISLATION!!!!!


Gender Separation according to natural birth!!!!

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I STRONGLY SUPPORT THIS LEGISLATION!!!!!!!!!!


I support Governor Youngkin

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<p>Parents need to be involved and consulted in all aspects of their children's lives both physical and mental. Would the school system condone and support a student amputating their arm because they didn't like it? Why would they condone someone's child making major life decisions without the parents involvement. </p>


Transgenders using biological bathrooms

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<p>I strongly support this! Boys need to use boys bathrooms and girls the girls bathrooms. </p>


Support reality, boundaries, expectations, truth. Support trans mental illness don’t encourage

Truth will remain after this fad passes and there is going to be a lot of b


Oppose!!!

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Strongly oppose to this policy!


Strongly support.

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<p>Thank you Gov. Younkin for implementing commons sense guidelines ensuring that all children are treated with dignity and respect.  </p>


Oppose the proposed VDOE policies

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I oppose these proposed policies as they will further isolate and jeopardize the youth of Virginia, and they are contrary to Virginia state law.


Strongly and Unreservedly Support the Rights of Parents

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I strongly and unreservedly support the rights of parents to have a say in their children's education especially in the content taught in schools whether public or private.


Cruel and unnecessary

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My husband and I utterly reject Governor Youngkin’s policy on transgender youth in our public schools. It is cruel to children and families dealing with enough without adding state-sponsored discrimination. Snd it is unnecessary. No one is harmed by treating transgender young people and their families fairly and with compassion — as I believe Jesus would have us do.


As a VA public school alum, I am disappointed. OPPOSE 2022 policies.

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I grew up going to Virginia public schools my entire life, including university. I pride myself in being a Virginian, until now. The 2021 policies were based on fact and care for the child. The 2022 policies are based on fear and hatred towards others, thinly veiled by "parental rights."

The 2022 policies state, "Empowering parents is essential to improving outcomes for children." This is assuming that the parents in question are caring, supportive, and non-abusive towards their child, which we know that not all parents are. Further, what about empowering students? I strongly believe that empowering students is essential to improving outcomes for students. Children and parents sometimes disagree on belief and ideologies. This is normal, and it shouldn't be punished by the school system. Children have a better understanding of their own bodies and minds than their parents. Children should have the power to decide for themselves how they identify.

It was a Virginia public school teacher who decided to anglicize my foreign name so that it was more palatable to the English tongue. This was deemed OK and encouraged. Now I bare this name legally and in every aspect of my life. Children should have the power to change their names, children should have the power to self-identify (or not), and children should have the power to decide for themselves how they want to live their own lives.


BE CAREFUL VIRGINIA- This LCPS nonsense is coming your way if you don't rise up.

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<p>Loudoun County schools are the laughing stock of the United States. It seemed to happen here overnight. Somehow, this brainwashed cult of woke women took over the county's schools. It will happen to you too if you don't rise up and get those woke progressives off your school boards. </p>


Opposed - looking at both sides, but new guidelines go too far

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I’m opposed to these new guidelines because they seem to contradict our Constitution’s guarantee to the right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness to our students. I think the students should have the right to disclose their personal information to whoever they want to - it’s nobody else’s business. While I think parents do have an incremental role in the supervision of their children’s development, the disclosure of pronouns does not make any sort of difference as to the wellbeing of that child unless the child takes it upon themselves to tell them. It’s a family issue - one that should be talked about around the kitchen table and not told to the parents by teachers. And as far as sports - I think students should play on whatever team they want. Research has shown that testosterone levels and muscle mass make a miniscule difference compared to the motivation and enthusiasm of the players. Look at our military - we see similar results. For bathrooms - transgender students need to use the restroom that they identify with, not what’s on their birth certificate. If a person is truly transgender, then that person would not even consider using the restroom for anything other than “using the restroom.” With or without any guidelines, there will never be any stopping some male student going into the girls’ restroom and sexually harassing or even assaulting girls. If a boy wants to do it, he’ll do it. Letting transgender girls use the girls’ restroom does not make that possibility more likely. Now, you’ll have the occasional boy who says he identifies as a girl but really, he doesn’t - he’s just a pervert - and those are the types of students who need to be expelled. What the solution to all of this would be, to create a safe environment for students, would be to allow trans students to use the restroom they identify with and establish offices in each school where students can go anonymously to report if they’ve been harassed or assaulted. Maybe even put an alarm button in the bathroom so that a teacher or (if the school has police) an officer can make it to the scene quickly. Make it so that the button alerts all staff - it could be a little contraption that knacks onto a a belt loop or shirt pocket that vibrates, and it could also connect to the principal’s office and the harassment office in the form of an audible beeper. This could also connect to the local police department if it becomes a continuing issue - like a *“life alert”* button. Transgender students need to feel safe and seen - and in order to create that environment, we need to foster for them the life and liberty that they deserve for them to embark on the pursuit of happiness.

It is important to note too that transgender identity is nothing new - it is not a trend. The American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, World Health Organization, National Health Service, American Psychiatric Association, and more organizations all acknowledge that gender is on a spectrum and that transgender people may require hormone treatment and surgery in order to live a healthy life in their own identity. It is important to note that the DSM–5 articulates explicitly that “gender non-conformity is not in itself a mental disorder.” Gender dysphoria is treated, as stated by all of these health organizations - by allowing hormone therapy and fostering a supportive environment - and by allowing them to utilize facilities and have access to the same opportunities as their cisgender counterparts. If the school nurse’s office is to take gender dysphoria seriously, then these guidelines should be reversed back to how they were under Northam’s administration. These are not political issues - although this topic has been highly politicized - these are public health issues.


This is what happens to parents that dare defy the LCPS grooming agenda

Read this article- It’s frightening how brazen they have become


Loudoun County- Judge finds transgender teen guilty of Loudoun County bathroom sexual assaults

LCPS parent in shock that this has gone on for so long.

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LCPS has created the perfect storm for sexual assaults. The school board and superintendent must be help personally responsible.


The first rule of indoctrinating students is not to tell anyone that you are indoctrinating students

Andrea Weiskopf Latin teacher at LCPS Twitter quote-

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This staff i proud to be grooming your children. This is a direct quote from this teacher's twitter feed. How do these people still have a job? Rise up LCPS parents!


Ann Marie Barrett (LCPS counselor) arrested for sexually assaulting her transgender student

LCPS-Keep the parents in the dark while counselors handle it? Not my kids.

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<p>The LCPS child grooming agenda is scary. They want to keep parents in the dark while the staff counsels our kids regarding their sexuality. You see how good this is going? LCPS will eventually be bankrupt with lawsuits. </p>


An appropriate change, here's why...

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Unfortunately, most people seem to be behind the curve of understanding how manipulation has been working upon them.  In my opinion, this manipulation (better described as "Social Engineering" and/or "Nudge Theory"...links to wiki pages) is the biggest threat to not just Virginia, but the United States as a whole.  George Washington warned us about this during his farewell address (found HERE) and he was 100% correct and we see evidence of this all around us.

We all can find common ground on one simple idea...governments should enable/protect freedom and personal liberties, not dictate or promote beliefs of particular factions.

Take your head out of the emotionally charged rhetoric and half-truths found throughout the media and other social platforms and ignore these extreme party lines for a moment.  At the end of the day, no matter who you are, we all just want to have our personal liberties and freedom...that is one of the few things we are entitled to.  We are not however, entitled to exercising our freedoms & liberties free from others' opinions, ridicule, and disdain.  To claim otherwise, unavoidably infringes on others' freedom of expression.

That said, this whole thing is quite simple really.  As it stands today...students at public schools throughout Virginia are allowed to interpret their understanding of gender in any way they want to and that shouldn't really matter to anyone else.  All students should be held accountable for appropriate civil behavior when confronting those with alternate beliefs...this is common courtesy.

As far as curriculum, this is another simple one to iron out...teachers and staff teach the biology of the natural process of the cycles of procreation amongst the flora & fauna as found naturally upon the earth.  That is...in most cases there are two genders and when one fertilizes/pollinates the other, the structures/systems within the body of the organism produce a blended output of the two parent species who then go on to repeat the process amongst others of its kind.  Of course you'll go more into depth about what we know about how this works depending on plant vs. animal and the various species, environments, etc.

Discussions about exceptions to these processes can be explored such as mutations, environmental adaptations, and other unnatural and/or atypical observations.  In fact, as you study the plant and animal kingdoms, these mutations and exceptions to the norm have produced some pretty amazing adaptations and diversity that contribute to the beauty we find all around us.

The discussion will naturally turn toward humanity and the exceptions found in the observed natural design of gender.  I think it's perfectly okay to state the obvious that there are those who are born who feel their biological (physical) assignment of gender doesn't coincide with their thoughts/feelings/attractions (psychological).  As far as how this should be interpreted, and any questions of morality or right vs. wrong, that side of the discussion is outside of the scope of a government funded public education institution.  Those discussions should be going on within the homes of the students.  It's not necessary to unravel all the mysteries of the universe before a student exits high school...that would be a ridiculous demand.

The truth is, the correlation between gender identity vs. biological assignment is not one of these things that academically, we can definitively state one way or another.  Biological assignment certainly is, but the personal interpretation and identity is not.  This is mainly due to the fact that it deals with the neurological systems governing our minds, consciousness, and psychological state and/or development.  These areas of science are less quantifiable and are largely in their infancy.  They rely on clinical observations...interviewing individuals and asking them to respond to questions.  This method, while not worthless, is widely known to be fraught with error and inconsistency depending on a ton of factors.  But at this point, it's the best we've got.  The best theory we've got does NOT equal fact.

Those that struggle with the personal dilemma between psychological and physical gender anomalies or who have loved ones that struggle, yearn for love and acceptance and understanding.  I think we can all understand that.  From one human to another, I'm saddened that you've got that struggle and want to let you know that I love you and that I wait patiently with you until we can find those quantifiable answers.  Know that you are not alone.  There are others born with anomalies of other kinds that yearn for similar understanding, love, and acceptance.  Most sensible people don't have any problem with you and/or your struggle.

But back to governing...what I believe personally, emotionally, and religiously is not necessarily how I think we, as a society should govern.  Governing styles and perspectives should be based off the full scope of the majority who fall under that governance.  If we governed based on my personal religious beliefs, we'd be teaching a course on the ministry of Jesus Christ, the afterlife, etc.  But as a citizen of a society of diverse people, each deserving freedom and liberty, I would never vote for that.  In other words, each of us needs to address governing related questions from a different perspective than just within ourselves and our small, myopic bubbles of social influence and family/friend spheres.

In closing, I support this policy.  I believe it restores (at least to some degree) ideologies of popular opinion back to their proper place.  It reaffirms the lanes of instruction within publicly funded schools and corrects the scope of the curriculum.  It restores the burden of parenting back where it belongs.  It corrects the course of the unfortunate effects of political parties, extreme factions, and social engineering.  There's more work to be done on this front, but it's a great step in the right direction.  But with all steps...there's a limit to how far even these should go.  If we can't all agree on that, we'll never get things right.

Tolerance works both ways.

My hope is that my comments are taken with a spirit of community, civility, and general love for the great people of this state & nation.


OPPOSE-Discriminatory, backward thinking

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Stop using children as a weapon to politicize school policies. Kids need a welcoming and inclusive school to be successful learners, and this policy does not support children defining themselves—it's intrusive on their lives and does not really have anything to do with education. This policy is a barrier to their educational success. We emphasize cultural competence in our schools and we ought to do the same with gender diversity—and we ought to expect the same from the state Department of Education, school divisions, schools, teachers, students and parents. We can lo longer assume that every child is the same as their given sex at birth. We must consider the perspective of the student's gender identity and how it affects their educational experience, their relationships with peers, and their educational performance. Let's not reintroduce discrimination into our schools again.


Oppose 2022 MODEL POLICIES ON THE PRIVACY, DIGNITY, AND RESPECT FOR ALL STUDENTS AND PARENTS

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I oppose the proposed policy changes as it does not respect a student's privacy or dignity and instead potentially places some in an unfortunate situation of having to choose between their physical safety at home and mental well-being. That state should be striving to protect all children instead of adding to the bullying of at-risk students.

I work in adolescent mental health research and the peer-reviewed research is clear: transgender youth are at a higher risk for mental health issues, not due to their orientation, but due to the harassment and discrimination they experience from people simply for existing as they are, including rejection from family members. The previous policy was informed by the research and weighed the risks of 'outing' a child before it is safe for them to disclose, while this policy will force some youth to either suffer in silence without support, or risk being reject by their family.  This proposed policy does not protect transgender students based on research.

The prior policies were informed by evidence-based best practices and the research and recommendations of many respected organizations including the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Association of School Psychologists and the National Library of Medicine.

We train for years in order to complete our research, serve at-risk populations, and generally try to help inform society to make it a better, safer place for everyone. Please listen to us when we say this will do irreparable harm to transgender youth in Virginia.


I OPPOSE YOUNGKIN'S TRANSGENDER POLICY

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When you were a child, by the time you were four or five, you had some idea of who you were -- you knew you were a boy, or you knew you were a girl. Most other people know that, too -- it's part of the self-awareness that happens as we reach ages four or five. We become aware of our personhood. Sometimes, the person we know ourselves to be simply doesn't match the body we are living in.

To deny this truth is to deny the personhood of EVERY SINGLE PERSON. Just as I know, as an adult, who I am, and just as I knew it when I was four or five years old, other people know who they are -- no matter what their body looks like.

People who actually work with students in Virginia's public schools (particularly middle and high schools) know that affirming every student's identity is KEY to that person's mental health. This is why school officials who work most closely with students -- in the classroom, in the principals' offices -- are urging school boards to REFUSE to abide by these dangerous regulations. By denying these students their own identities, the STATE GOVERNMENT would place them at great risk. Transgender people in every walk of life, at every stage of life, are at a great risk of suicide.

If teachers and school administrators want to micromanage even the NICKNAMES that kids adopt in schools, many, many more students will be at risk of mental health issues and self-harming behaviors.

In a time where so many students are facing poverty and other problems at home, the state government should NOT seek to add to these burdens.

Let people be who they KNOW they are.


Opposed. I am disturbed by the number of people supporting policies proposed by Youngkin

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I strongly oppose the Youngkin administration's new policy proposal that would negatively impact the rights of transgender & nonbinary students.  Many of the supporting comments seem to be right out of the tRUMP/GOP playbook - this also disturbs me.  We are going back in time.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SUPPORTING TRANSGENDER YOUTH IN SCHOOL

Every student deserves to learn in a safe and supportive setting, free from discrimination. As the Department of Education has reaffirmed, discrimination based on sex—including sexual orientation and gender identity—isn’t just wrong, it’s prohibited in America’s schools. Yet many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) students experience bullying, harassment, and other discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

For transgender students in particular, this discrimination can threaten students’ well-being and ability to thrive or even participate in school—one national survey found that transgender students were three times more likely to miss school than other students. Additional research cited in a report from the Department’s Office for Civil Rights found transgender youth were more likely to report feeling unsafe at school and being bullied, and that the COVID-19 pandemic harmed their mental health. Some transgender students experience multiple forms of discrimination at once, including race, gender or disability discrimination, which amplify the challenges they face.

HOW DOES THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SUPPORT TRANSGENDER STUDENTS WHO EXPERIENCE DISCRIMATION? The Department of Education, through its Office for Civil Rights (OCR), helps protect the rights of all students to learn in school settings free from sex discrimination—including discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. We do this by providing assistance and resources, and by enforcing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.


Tired Student

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<p>I strongly oppose this policy. Please, just let kids have the freedom to explore themselves. They won't get that chance if they're being put into boxes, like I was. This has nothing to do with hormones or medical procedures, like other people claim. This is simply the right to exist in the system. </p>


Strongly Oppose

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Trans kids--or those questioning--need support and acceptance and love. No one is changing a 5yo's gender--we only want to love them where they are while they figure out who they are. LGBTQ kids with at least one supportive adult in their lives have a roughly 40% lower suicide rate. It doesn't matter whether you "agree" with trans or other LGBTQ people--it isn't your life and isn't hurting anyone, so it's none of your business. Your religious beliefs also are irrelevant--public schools should be free of any religious influence. Let people--including kids--be who they are.


The Muslim community 100% supports. Governor, please read this and help us.

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For some of our daughters and women in our Muslim community, wearing a hijab is the core culture and a strict religious practice. Our daughters have been observing this for modesty and privacy, and they do not feel safe changing their clothes in the presence of biological males, since they remove their hijab only in the presence of other females.

We demand segregated washrooms, change rooms and field trip accommodation for biological males and females use be clearly written in details in the Code of Conduct and strictly implemented to ensure safety for all school students. Our daughters must not only be safe but feel physically, emotionally, and morally safe when they use washrooms, change rooms and field trip accommodation


SUPPORT - Affirming teens in the belief that they're in the wrong body is NOT care or support

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How is it that as a society we are not making a connection between the teen mental health crisis and the explosion in teens identifying as trans? Affirming a teen's belief that he or she is in the wrong body and hurrying them toward medicalization is simply cruel. Teens are too young to make irreversible decisions about their bodies. The interim Cass Report, commissioned by England's National Health Service, has found NO evidence that transitioning youth improves their mental health. The claim that chemical and surgical transition are "lifesaving" is a flat-out lie. Stop infringing on everyone else's rights to defend practices that, in the end, are not even helping the people they supposedly protect.


“Parental rights,” my butt!

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Youngkin said during a recent interview: “We must have parents at the front of the line — not at the exclusion of a trusted teacher or counselor — but parents must be the first stop for these decisions.”

How shortsighted of you! Not all of us are so dumb to fall for this.

While this might work if the parents are loving and supportive,  but what if they aren’t? Then what? You may end up with blood on your hands.

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward." Matthew 6: 5


Most parents of trans kids would support this change

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I'm the mom of a trans young man and I've learned more than I ever thought possible about how trans ideology and its takeover of US institutions. Like thousands of other moms of trans young men (we're supposed to call them trans women), I believe my kid is brainwashed and is tethered to the "medical leash" of lifelong dependence on synthetic hormones by a trans cult backed by the pharmaceutical industry. He insists that he is female because that's what the cult has taught him to believe and say. This insanity has to stop! Girls have to speak up! To avoid anti-discrimination lawsuits, the schools will only follow guidance from the state and federal governments, which unfortunately have been captured by trans activists. The schools punish girls who complain about boys in their locker rooms by banning THEM, not the boys, from the locker rooms. Schools bullying girls in the name of anti-bullying. GIRLS, MAKE YOUR VOICES HEARD!


Strongly Support 2022 Policy

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I strongly support any policy that protects parents' rights to be the decision makers along with their children on any life altering decisions being made.  It is not the right of the educators to do this.


Strongly Oppose, please be nice to trans kids

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These policies are transphobic, and need to be left in the dirt


YES - please protect ALL children and ALL parent rights


Support the 2022 Model Policy for Transgender Issues in Public Schools

As a Father and Virginia voter, I agree entirely with Gov Youngkin's transgender policy's goals of protecting and encouraging respect for all students (including those struggling with their spiritual or sexual identities) and their parents.
I also wholly endorse this policy's recognition of the parents' right, role, and responsibility in raising and developing their child/children (mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually) as they see fit, without interference from the government or the public school system.Children are not mentally or emotionally equipped to make life-altering decisions for themselves at the early stages of their development; that is precisely why they have parents and guardians. Not too long ago, it was the policy that schoolchildren were not qualified to choose the contents of their lunches. Yet, in the previous 2021 policy, five-year-olds could competently decide their gender. The new 2022 policy is correct in its reinforcement of the Fourteenth Amendment's provision that parents have a fundamental right to direct the upbringing and education of their children." Children are not "communal property." " Schools are not "partners" with the parents in raising our children. The school exists to provide a service to the parents and their children, not serve as a substitute for them or to insert itself as a proxy moral arbiter. I agree with the "2022 Model Policy" and it's guiding principle that "Parents have the right to make decisions with respect to their children" and that "schools shall respect parents' values and beliefs."
It is one thing to recognize the right and freedom of every individual to pretend to be whatever they want (unalterable scientific and biological truths notwithstanding); it is quite another to insist that all other persons and institutions must act with them or be subject to penalties. No individual has a right to force an entire population into a make-believe world of his/her choosing, nor could it or could/should it, with any rational legal justification.Therefore, I support this policy's recognition of the First Amendment protection against compelling speech contrary to a person's individual or religious beliefs. I believe forcing people with a biblically/scientifically/practically based belief in biologically assigned sex to refer to a biological male or female by some other term violates that Constitutional protection.
The "2021 Model Policy" was myopic in its focus and seemed to concentrate on the rights, safety, and well-being of a particular group of students with little or no regard for the rights, safety, and well-being of all others. The new "2022 Model Policy" provides much-needed adjustment and balance.
Governor Youngkin, Thank you for updating these policies to restore protections for fundamental parental rights. This new policy will ensure that parents are no longer cut out of the process—especially when it concerns how gender and sexuality issues are handled with our kids at school. Thousands of ambiguous and anonymous comments by leftist organizations prove there is not widespread support for transgenderism in schools.

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As a Father and Virginia voter, I agree entirely with Gov Youngkin's transgender policy's goals of protecting and encouraging respect for all students (including those struggling with their spiritual or sexual identities) and their parents.

I also wholly endorse this policy's recognition of the parents' right, role, and responsibility in raising and developing their child/children (mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually) as they see fit, without interference from the government or the public school system.
Children are not mentally or emotionally equipped to make life-altering decisions for themselves at the early stages of their development; that is precisely why they have parents and guardians. Not too long ago, it was the policy that schoolchildren were not qualified to choose the contents of their lunches. Yet, in the previous 2021 policy, five-year-olds could competently decide their gender. The new 2022 policy is correct in its reinforcement of the Fourteenth Amendment's provision that parents have a fundamental right to direct the upbringing and education of their children." Children are not "communal property." " Schools are not "partners" with the parents in raising our children. The school exists to provide a service to the parents and their children, not serve as a substitute for them or to insert itself as a proxy moral arbiter. I agree with the "2022 Model Policy" and it's guiding principle that "Parents have the right to make decisions with respect to their children" and that "schools shall respect parents' values and beliefs."

It is one thing to recognize the right and freedom of every individual to pretend to be whatever they want (unalterable scientific and biological truths notwithstanding); it is quite another to insist that all other persons and institutions must act with them or be subject to penalties. No individual has a right to force an entire population into a make-believe world of his/her choosing, nor could it or could/should it, with any rational legal justification.
Therefore, I support this policy's recognition of the First Amendment protection against compelling speech contrary to a person's individual or religious beliefs. I believe forcing people with a biblically/scientifically/practically based belief in biologically assigned sex to refer to a biological male or female by some other term violates that Constitutional protection.

The "2021 Model Policy" was myopic in its focus and seemed to concentrate on the rights, safety, and well-being of a particular group of students with little or no regard for the rights, safety, and well-being of all others. The new "2022 Model Policy" provides much-needed adjustment and balance.

Governor Youngkin, Thank you for updating these policies to restore protections for fundamental parental rights. This new policy will ensure that parents are no longer cut out of the process—especially when it concerns how gender and sexuality issues are handled with our kids at school. Thousands of ambiguous and anonymous comments by leftist organizations prove there is not widespread support for transgenderism in schools.


I support this policy

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Thank you for letting me and my rights be included.  Kids have some rights but other things they should not be alllowed to be in charge of.  If they can't get a job or learn to drive before 16, they can't help pay family bills unless their job is cash only and walking distance.  So I'm paying all the bills and breaking my back to do all I can for my kid.  Then you self righteous rich people say Idon't have the right to know what is going on in the school where my kid spends 40 plus hours a week?  Shame on you.  SHAME ON YOU.


OPPOSED


Restore Parents' Rights in Education!

Dear Virginia Department of Education Officials,

Policies for transgender students implemented in states and school districts across the United States have sought to exclude parents from vital conversations about their child's education and wellbeing.

Former Governor Ralph Northam's administration chipped away at the rights of Virginia parents with its 2021 model policies for transgender students. Those policies explicitly stated that school officials were not always required to tell parents about their child's decision to use a new name and pronouns at school.

I'm writing in support of the Youngkin administration's new model policies, "On the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents In Virginia's Public Schools," which enshrine the rights of parents to direct the upbringing of their child while respecting all students across the Commonwealth.

Thank you for your commitment to parents' rights in education. I urge you to implement the policies as written and restore the right and responsibility of parents to make the best decisions for their child.

Regards,
Mark Lobato
806 Sherlin Ln
Great Falls, VA 22066

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Dear Virginia Department of Education Officials,<br /><br />Policies for transgender students implemented in states and school districts across the United States have sought to exclude parents from vital conversations about their child's education and wellbeing. <br /><br />Former Governor Ralph Northam's administration chipped away at the rights of Virginia parents with its 2021 model policies for transgender students. Those policies explicitly stated that school officials were not always required to tell parents about their child's decision to use a new name and pronouns at school. <br /><br />I'm writing in support of the Youngkin administration's new model policies, "On the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents In Virginia's Public Schools," which enshrine the rights of parents to direct the upbringing of their child while respecting all students across the Commonwealth. <br /><br />Thank you for your commitment to parents' rights in education. I urge you to implement the policies as written and restore the right and responsibility of parents to make the best decisions for their child.<br /><br />Regards,
<br />Mark Lobato
<br />806 Sherlin Ln<br />Great Falls, VA 22066<br /><img src="http://admin.phone2action.com/email/open/leg/657466/148554261" width="1" height="1" />


SUPPORT!

I don't want my son or daughter having an alternate life about which I know nothing.  I want to love them and support them, not let my tax dollars fund teachers and school adminsitrators keeping secrets from me ABOUT MY CHILD.I don't want a confused boy in a dress to be in the bathroom or locker room with my daughter.  Wearing a dress aint gonna make him happier or less suicidal (if he even is suicidal).  So thank you Governor for this policy which will keep me informed.

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I don't want my son or daughter having an alternate life about which I know nothing.  I want to love them and support them, not let my tax dollars fund teachers and school adminsitrators keeping secrets from me ABOUT MY CHILD.

I don't want a confused boy in a dress to be in the bathroom or locker room with my daughter.  Wearing a dress aint gonna make him happier or less suicidal (if he even is suicidal).  So thank you Governor for this policy which will keep me informed.


Support! Republicans aren't the haters - Dems seem to hate any parents not falling in line with them

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Thank you Governor for bringing PARENTAL RIGHTS back into this situation.  Kids do have rights _ ALL KIDS _ but not at the cost of permanent damage, without parent involvement.  These kids aren't allowed to drive before 16, smoke or tattoo before 18, drink before 21.  But progressives seem to think we are progressing by destroying the future of young lives?  THAT is hateful.  We (Republicans) arenot hating trans kids or wishing anything bad for them.  Weare wishing to be included in the experiences our children have at the public schools, through which they are paid with our taxes.  Something isterribly wrong AND HATEFUL WITH THIS ADMINISTRATION when the FBI and CIA are brought in to chase after parents.  Virginina, wake up.  If these trans kids want to transition at 13 and it's authentic, they will still want to transition at 18.  Just slow down.  Good greief, the hate isn't coming from Republicans.


STRONGLY OPPOSE

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I oppose any educational policy that prohibits parents from knowing about any gender changes his/her child (ren) may be thinking about.  Also any policy that tries to criminalize parents who are trying to help their child (ren) in making life altering decisions.  It is not the place of educators to take on this role.

Thank you


2022 Model Policies harm children and are unlawful.

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I am writing to oppose the 2022 proposed model policies, which will harm children.

Minors have the right to attend school free from discrimination, including gender-based discrimination. Specifically, Virginia code promises young people the opportunity to attend school safely. For transgender and nonbinary young people, this means not having to share intimate details about their genitalia. It means being called the name of their choice and using the bathroom of their choice. The model policies proposed by this administration are draconian, and they will lead to painful outcomes for families, including the families that they claim will benefit from these outcomes.

Nonbinary and transgender youth are already more likely to be without safe shelter. They already have higher incidences of attempted and completed suicide. They already suffer bullying at school. These model policies will exacerbate each of these outcomes.

These model policies are also in violation of Grimm v. Gloucester Co. School Board, which ruled that it is a violation of Title IX to demand that people use facilities based on sex rather than gender. These model policies are in blatant violation of Title IX, and should not be adopted.

School is hard enough, and kids are already struggling to make it to adulthood in the United States, especially as members of a minority. There is no cause to make their lives more difficult, and there is worse than no benefit to these polices: theres is only the potential for increasingly more harm to these students.


Restore Parents' Rights in Education!

Dear Virginia Department of Education Officials,

Hello-

I'm writing in support of the Youngkin administration's new model policies, "On the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents In Virginia's Public Schools," which enshrine the rights of parents to direct the upbringing of their child while respecting all students across the Commonwealth.

Thank you for your commitment to parents' rights in education. I urge you to implement the policies as written and restore the right and responsibility of parents to make the best decisions for their child.

Regards,
mary merklinger
302 51st St
Virginia Beach, VA 23451

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Dear Virginia Department of Education Officials,<br /><br />Hello-<br /><br />I'm writing in support of the Youngkin administration's new model policies, "On the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents In Virginia's Public Schools," which enshrine the rights of parents to direct the upbringing of their child while respecting all students across the Commonwealth. <br /><br />Thank you for your commitment to parents' rights in education. I urge you to implement the policies as written and restore the right and responsibility of parents to make the best decisions for their child.<br /><br />Regards,
<br />mary merklinger
<br />302 51st St<br />Virginia Beach, VA 23451<br /><img src="http://admin.phone2action.com/email/open/leg/657466/148553948" width="1" height="1" />


A Dem who strongly supports

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I strongly support the proposed change. The rights of girls to privacy, dignity, and fairness in athletic competition disappear once any male can claim to be female based on subjective experience. There is nothing hateful about acknowledging biological reality. Until about 10 years ago, no trans man would insist that the the world pretend he is female and allow him into protected female spaces. Trans people can and should have their own spaces.

With regard to name and pronoun changes, parents have a Constitutional right to have a say in their child's education. Calling students by other-sex pronouns is a psycho-social intervention, which teachers do not have the expertise or authority to put in place. Schools should be transparent about that and about teaching gender ideology. Teaching children that they should keep secrets with adults is setting them up for trouble down the road. When these children and adolescents go on to pursue irreversible chemical and surgical alterations after graduating, the teachers and administrator who enthusiastically affirmed them will be out of their lives, while the parents who were kept in the dark will be there to pick up the pieces.


OPPOSE! OPPOSE! OPPOSE!!!!

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Republicans continue to strip away basic freedoms and erode democracy, and this is just another example. Think beyond white, “Christian” men, and find some compassion for all. These are bullying and hateful policies that are a disgrace to a large amount of Virginians. Cannot wait until you are out of office, and there is a return to basic human decency!


Hateful, transphobic policies!!

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These policies take away the freedoms of transgendered children, while stoking the flames of transphobia. We are not all “Christian” nationalists. Quit forcing your shortsighted,  bigoted policies on all of us. You are a disgrace- the worst governor ever. The only freedoms you care about are those of straight, white, “Christian” men!


Oppose. Go educate yourselves!!


Oppose! We should not all be forced to live under “Christian” nationalism!!!!

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From WAPO:

Contrary to statements that suggest otherwise, the 2022 model policies do impose a specific ideology. Christian nationalism is not relegated to churches, extremist groups or religious-political leaders; it exerts control and fosters political violence through public policies and institutions that seek to exterminate non-White, non-Christian, and non-heteropatriarchal thought from the nation.


Opposed

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<p>Places transgender students in grave physical and psychological danger </p>


STRONGLY OPPOSE - supporting all students is the priority.

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<p>Strongly oppose fear-based decision making. </p>


STRONGLY OPPOSE

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Strongly oppose.  This will further endanger the lives of trans youth.


Opposed, puts trans students' lives even more in danger

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These new model policies are extremely transphobic and are going to put trans students in even more danger than they already are. I am trans and have been out for 3 years. I go to a public school in Virginia and am strongly opposed to this policy. I am fortunate enough to pass and feel somewhat safe in my daily life. But I also know a lot of trans students who don't have that privilege. I am scared enough for the safety of my friends without this new transphobic policy passing.


If Lib women weren’t so intolerable, there would be a dad helping to raise these kids.

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<p>The downfall with liberals begin with their destruction of the nuclear family. Liberal women are generally intolerable. The nuclear family is not an option. When these kids are raised without a father present, they are at the mercy of their woke mothers to teach them sexuality. And now we all pay the price. They want their little boys to be able to join girls sports teams and use the ladies room. </p>


OPPOSE

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this is a horrible idea that will damage children. Trans and non binary kids are at high risk of suicide if they encounter hateful policies


Parent's Rights and COMPLETE SUPPORT

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Where have we come as a nation? People forcibly pushing their beliefs onto everyone, and specially onto our kids. Pushing inappropriate information for children without parents knowledge. Any trans, gender, woke pronouns, gay, information, are not okay to reach children of any age no matter what.


Abusing Trans People Doesn't Make You Safer

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It's extremely disappointing to see policy that focuses on unacknowledging the existence of patriotic Americans over Trans identity. Conservatives have been tricked into a number of fears recently, especially the fear of losing 'normal' or sports integrity or their children's safety ...to trans people trying to live their lives normally...

They're worried about investing even slightly more resources to make everyone happy and healthy with policy here, and instead choose to 'cancel' Trans people as a lashback over 'woke cancelling', invoking god and religion, while using public power and seeking expanded federal government to help them. I'm sorry, but WTF? This isn't conservatism.

This is not tolerable. The needless cruelty from all of the people weighing in, and the unseriousness of their arguments and investment... it's pitiful. Folks are a kind of rabid about this, like hateful shells of people looking for someone else to make more miserable than them to lord over. Their often Religious rhetoric is only invoked to hide how deeply dark they are inside.

If you believe in Religion, does your God make mistakes? Are you made in the image of God and somehow a Trans person is not? What parts of your religious doctrine actually inform your position, if you know, or is it all coming from follower culture?

Realize that what Republicans are doing is an us and them campaign trick because they have no real depth of offerings. Other folks might actually offer something different than Dems if that's what you wanted, but it's absolutely not the Republicans right now. The Republicans want to mobilize angry, hateful, stupid. Stop. Slow down. Expose yourself to more opposition patiently and LISTEN.

Thanks


I oppose the proposed model policies

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<p>I respectfully submit comment in opposition to the proposed 2022 Model Policies on the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents in Virginia’s Public Schools (the “2022 Model Policies”). These policies are not only in direct violation of state and federal law1 , but they also deny the rights of students, parents, and school personnel to recognize the inherent dignity and worth of every child. All children have the right to learn in a safe and supportive environment that respects their humanity and upholds their dignity. However, the 2022 Model Policies send a dangerous message that some students do not belong, and in fact, should not exist. Discovering oneself is an important part of growing up, and every child deserves to have support and guidance as they learn about themselves, their family and friends, and their place in the world. Studies have consistently shown that policies like those proposed result in more frequent and escalating harassment, discrimination, and physical violence toward trans and nonbinary students. These policies also lead to significantly higher rates of depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts relative to cisgender students. The consistent misgendering of a student has a profoundly negative impact on their ability to learn in the classroom. Contrary to what is recommended in the proposed model policies, consistent use of a student’s affirmed name can reduce suicidal behavior and suicidal ideation. Furthermore, denying trans and nonbinary students from using facilities that match their gender identity increases the prevalence of sexual assault victimization. The evidence is clear – students will experience higher rates of sexual assault, peer victimization, and suicide if policies like these are adopted in Virginia. I recognize that sexual and domestic violence is linked to other forms of harm and that supporting equality and respect for ALL people, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, is integral to creating a Virginia free from sexual and domestic violence. The 2022 Model Policies will significantly and irreparably harm Virginia’s students and families and as antiviolence advocates; we firmly oppose their adoption. </p>


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I vehemently oppose the 2022 MODEL POLICIES ON THE PRIVACY, DIGNITY, AND RESPECT FOR ALL STUDENTS AND PARENTS IN VIRGINIA’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

Pretending that this policy protects the privacy, dignity or respect of transgender students is both untrue and appalling. It protects everyone except transgender students.  Section D ensures that no child shall be discriminated or harassed on the basis of his or her sex, a label assigned at birth based on limited and sometimes ambiguous or misleading, information.  No such protections are extended on the basis of gender identity.  In fact, Section D.6. states that “the school division shall not compel School Division personnel or other students to address or refer to students in any manner that would violate their constitutionally protected rights.”  This is state-sanctioned authorization and even encouragement of the bullying and ostracizing of transgender students.  There simply is no other justification for its inclusion in this policy.

Neither is this policy really about parental rights.  If it was, it would also respect the rights of parents of LGBTQIA students and not require them to jump through administrative and legal hoops to allow their children to receive the respect and dignity this policy should ensure, but does not.

This policy forces teachers and administrators to misname and misgender transgender children with the knowledge that doing so will inflict unnecessary emotional damage to an already marginalized group.  It prevents supportive teachers from treating transgender students with the dignity and respect they deserve.

The research is clear:  LGBTQIA students are at extreme risk for depression and suicide, not because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, but because of discrimination and harassment they face on a regular basis.   That discrimination comes from other students, neighbors, strangers and sometimes their own friends and family members.  I know this.  I’ve been to the funeral of an 8-year-old transgender girl who committed suicide because she was not accepted by her own father.  It was an agonizing experience for all present and totally unnecessary.  It should never have happened.  To be blunt, to “out” children, as this policy requires, without their permission and before they are prepared is to put these students at extreme risk.

The prior policies were informed by evidence-based best practices and the research and recommendations of many respected organizations including the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Association of School Psychologists and the National Library of Medicine.  The proposed model policy appears to be informed by nothing more than a desire to use transgender students as pawns to score political points.


SUPPORT! Parent's right and rights for academic learning

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Our children have the right to high academic education and achievements, their sexuality is nobody's business.  Girls can't be boys and boys can't be girls. They can pretend it, but you can't force others to engage in your fantasy by threatening with laws.......... and children have to be protect against this ideology in schools, when we parents are not around to take care of them.


Restore Parents' Rights in Education!

Dear Virginia Department of Education Officials,

Policies for transgender students implemented in states and school districts across the United States have sought to exclude parents from vital conversations about their child's education and wellbeing.

Former Governor Ralph Northam's administration chipped away at the rights of Virginia parents with its 2021 model policies for transgender students. Those policies explicitly stated that school officials were not always required to tell parents about their child's decision to use a new name and pronouns at school.

I'm writing in support of the Youngkin administration's new model policies, "On the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents In Virginia's Public Schools," which enshrine the rights of parents to direct the upbringing of their child while respecting all students across the Commonwealth.

Thank you for your commitment to parents' rights in education. I urge you to implement the policies as written and restore the right and responsibility of parents to make the best decisions for their child.

Regards,
Hanna Tucker
9408 Meadow Crossing Way
Fairfax Station, VA 22039

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Dear Virginia Department of Education Officials,<br /><br />Policies for transgender students implemented in states and school districts across the United States have sought to exclude parents from vital conversations about their child's education and wellbeing. <br /><br />Former Governor Ralph Northam's administration chipped away at the rights of Virginia parents with its 2021 model policies for transgender students. Those policies explicitly stated that school officials were not always required to tell parents about their child's decision to use a new name and pronouns at school. <br /><br />I'm writing in support of the Youngkin administration's new model policies, "On the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents In Virginia's Public Schools," which enshrine the rights of parents to direct the upbringing of their child while respecting all students across the Commonwealth. <br /><br />Thank you for your commitment to parents' rights in education. I urge you to implement the policies as written and restore the right and responsibility of parents to make the best decisions for their child.<br /><br />Regards,
<br />Hanna Tucker
<br />9408 Meadow Crossing Way<br />Fairfax Station, VA 22039<br /><img src="http://admin.phone2action.com/email/open/leg/657466/148552045" width="1" height="1" />


SUPPORT!!!! AWAKEN DEMOCRATIC HERE CALLING OUT THE LUNATICS AND CRAZY TRANS CULT

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How many religions have mixed children and sex? Many, and those are cults, and those children many committed suicide and are dealing with serious traumas today because their parents didn't shield them form the sexual activity and content.

Why are schools infiltrating the trans ideology/ religion/ beliefs/ cult into our schools without parents, and in case of universities adults, consent? We have no chance to protect our children as things are going now. This needs to be stopped. Stop the "kindness" nonsense. These people need jail time for the audacity and the intention to hurt children, mentally and physically, by giving them lies, that all problems will be solved once they "change" genders..........what the kids get? messed up endocrine system and bones. Go check out the trans people speaking out AGAINST TRANS NEAR CHILDREN.

If what you are saying is a lie, then file it as a religion and get out of our schools.


STRONGLY SUPPORT...stop silencing parents and being secretive, you know this is wrong

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This ideology is so manipulative that they have accomplished so much just by intimidation. We parents have had enough of it. Enough with the ideology, religious cult, targeting our kids. Stay away from our children! Stop these freaks from being near children!

I never cared about trans and gays, but you have now lost even that. Now I care, and I want you all prohibited from coming near schools and children.


Lib moms would sacrifice their own kids to prove they are more woke than their neighbor.

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Oh what an exciting day it will be when you come out on Facebook as a trans mom. Your lib friends will be so jealous when they hear about your new award. Yes you could have raised kids that would enjoy normal lives and you could bounce grandchildren on your lap someday…. but being a trans mom will be so much more exciting for you.


OPPOSE!  Please remove MAGA toxicity from our children's schools

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The most basic individual right is to declare who you are.  How can the VA Dept. of Education interfere with this right?  Gender identity is as important as a person's choice of religion.  The state can't tell you who to worship, so why should it be able to tell our children how to express their gender identity?


Strongly Oppose

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<p>Find a way to protect all kids, including transgender and nonbinary kids. School policies should be inclusive and not discriminate against any child in any way. The proposed policy does not protect or include vulnerable kids. </p>


Protect Emotionally Vulnerable Children and Parental Rights!

Dear Virginia Dept of Education,

Schools should never secretly socially transition students and keep the child's new name, pronouns and gender identities from parents. I am pleased and relieved that the Virginia Department of Education's revised model policies support parental rights and ensure that school employees don't cut parents out of critical decisions for their children.

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) issued "model policies" in 2021 that encouraged every school district in Virginia to hide a child's new gender identity from parents who choose to affirm the child's biological sex. Under Governor Youngkin's leadership, the VDOE's revised policies make it clear that all children should be valued and parents' rights and beliefs should be respected. The 2022 Model Policies on the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for all Students and Parents in Virginia's Public Schools keep parents involved in major decisions in their children's lives.

The 2021 VDOE "model policies" encouraged schools to create "a plan (that) may include addressing the student at school with their name and pronoun consistent with their gender identity while using the legal name and pronoun associated with the sex assigned at birth when communicating with parents or guardians."

I strongly support the revised policies that end this practice. Virginia schools should not drive a wedge between parents and their emotionally vulnerable children. Virginia school districts, including those who have already communicated their plans to ignore the 2022 revised model policies, should put an end to secret Gender Support Plans now.

Sincerely,
James Supp
20611 Cutwater Pl
Sterling, VA 20165

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Dear Virginia Dept of Education,<br /><br />Schools should never secretly socially transition students and keep the child's new name, pronouns and gender identities from parents. I am pleased and relieved that the Virginia Department of Education's revised model policies support parental rights and ensure that school employees don't cut parents out of critical decisions for their children. <br /><br />The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) issued "model policies" in 2021 that encouraged every school district in Virginia to hide a child's new gender identity from parents who choose to affirm the child's biological sex. Under Governor Youngkin's leadership, the VDOE's revised policies make it clear that all children should be valued and parents' rights and beliefs should be respected. The 2022 Model Policies on the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for all Students and Parents in Virginia's Public Schools keep parents involved in major decisions in their children's lives.<br /><br />The 2021 VDOE "model policies" encouraged schools to create "a plan (that) may include addressing the student at school with their name and pronoun consistent with their gender identity while using the legal name and pronoun associated with the sex assigned at birth when communicating with parents or guardians." <br /><br />I strongly support the revised policies that end this practice. Virginia schools should not drive a wedge between parents and their emotionally vulnerable children. Virginia school districts, including those who have already communicated their plans to ignore the 2022 revised model policies, should put an end to secret Gender Support Plans now.<br /><br />Sincerely,
<br />James Supp
<br />20611 Cutwater Pl<br />Sterling, VA 20165<br /><img src="http://admin.phone2action.com/email/open/leg/657523/148551320" width="1" height="1" />


STRONGLY OPPOSE

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If you want to say that this policy is "evidence based," please consult the multiple agencies that have done research into and released statements about the treatment of transgender and non-binary children, including the American Psychological Association, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, and more.

As a WPATH (World Professional Association for Transgender Health) certified gender affirming provider, I see firsthand the positive effects that come from affirming someone's gender and seeing and treating them as their true self. Unfortunately, I also see the damage that comes when people are unable to be themselves or have to hide who they are in order to be physically or otherwise safe. This proposed policy is written with the expressed aim of including parents in their children's care and education. However, I am certain that if a student has caregivers who are supportive, they will be aware of and involved in supporting the student. All that this policy would do is force students who do not feel safe at home to choose between hiding their identity at school or being outed to their guardians with the possible risk of losing their home or being otherwise punished. The stakes are high and as has been mentioned by others, can also lead to possible self-harm or suicidality for the impacted students. For some of them, school is the only safe place they have and this proposed policy would be ripping it from them.

In terms of the proposed bathroom, locker room, and sports aspects of the policy, these are rooted in fear and transphobia and not reality. I implore the administration to get to know these kids and this community and this would be clear. There is no documented evidence to back up the risks that this policy implies in letting students use the facilities that align with their gender. Unfortunately, there are known risks if they are forced to use other facilities, including to the physical safety of the transgender and non-binary students.

I am strongly opposed to this policy and hope that the administration reconsiders this harmful proposal.


Proposed "model policies" model harmful refuted logic and rhetoric

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All children have the right to learn in a safe and supportive environment that respects their humanity and upholds their dignity. The Governor's proposed new model policies regarding trans and non-binary kids not only model harmful rhetoric that has been touted by people who don't believe trans people exist (they DO!) but are also increasing the potential for harm to the students they are targeting with this policy. These policies were not developed using factual data or science, but religious and conservative bias.

Learning and discovering who you are is a vital part of human development, and every child deserves to have support and guidance as they learn and understand more about themselves, their family and friends, and their place in the world. Studies (here's that science and data part that people have so much trouble understanding) have consistently shown that policies like these result in more frequent and escalating harassment, discrimination, and physical violence toward trans and nonbinary students. Trans and non-binary students are not causing harm for ANYONE by existing as themselves in this world. It's hard enough being a child surviving in our current world and culture, but adding insult to injury by denying their fundamental rights to a safe place to learn is downright shameful. These policies also lead to significantly higher rates of depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts relative to cisgender. Denying trans and nonbinary people from using facilities that align with their gender identity increases the prevalence of sexual assault victimization, NOT the other way around. The evidence is clear – students will experience higher rates of assault, victimization, and suicide if policies like these are adopted in Virginia.

I implore that these proposed policies be trashed. Those who support them really need to  think about putting themselves in the shoes of others, and consider how it would be to move through the world as someone who is denied access to their basic needs simply because of how the world perceives them. Do NOT deny our most vulnerable students their rights to a SAFE and RESPECFTUL school environment.


I SUPPORT! Protect Parental rights

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<p>We need to protect children from stupidity and science fiction. Schools need to stop engaging in trans ideology and focus on academics. </p>


I support the 2022 guidance document!

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<p>Parents have the right to protect their children. Gender ideology has no place in institutions, specially for little ones whose parents are not around to guide and protect. </p>
<p> </p>


support Gov. Youngkin

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I strongly support your proposal Govenor!!!!


I support this policy. Protect children and Parent's rights, and SCIENCE

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Enough with the woke nonsense targeting our children through inappropriate books and teachers. Confusing them, convincing them to change the unchangeable. Trans are the ones pushing people to suicide by indoctrination of their beliefs... pushing society to a breaking point and real academic crisis in schools and universities. What is next? Biology is transphobic? Restore parents rights now. Give the rights LGBTQA deserves which is to be criminally charged and put in jail for sharing sexual information with minors.


I support! Do you even understand how deadly your medical decisions are? genders can't be changed

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Children need to be protect from this trans ideology. Many are waking up at 18 yo and realizing how damaging all of the trans experiments have been to their mind and body, shortening their lives.

No thanks, your ideology is welcomed to become a religion and far away from schools and students of all ages. Protect Parents rights in education. Protect children from cult woke trans.


Parental rights

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The parents have the right to not have their children exposed to those things they find objectionable. I agree with the Governor.


Everyone who supports this is sick

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<p>Disgusting that we'd think about putting kids in physical and emotional danger like this. Do better. </p>


OPPOSE!  "Parents' Rights" should apply to ALL parents: not just the hateful ones

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My rights as a parent who loves and accepts my non-binary child are being trampled on by this so-called "parents' rights" policy.  This policy elevates the rights of parents who hate and bully trans/non-binary children above my rights and my child's rights.  It is a one-sided, cruel policy.

My child came out to me last year - my strongest parent right is for my child to feel safe in school.  This new policy attacks the most vulnerable members of the Virginia school systems: our young, marginalized children.  A policy that shoves trans/non-binary students into the closet will NEVER change their identity.  Kids are born with their identity - these don't develop because someone "groomed" them.  I challenge everyone supporting the hateful policy to meet just one trans or non-binary kid and spend a few minutes asking about their experience.  You should not be passing policies out of willful ignorance and avoidance of actually learning a trans perspective.

My child recently told a story of when their first teacher took the effort to use their preferred pronouns - it lit up their world!  Suddenly someone saw their full humanity and honored it.  This interaction was strictly between my child and that teacher, who chose to honor my child's humanity.  How can you justify a policy that inserts itself into that relationship and tries to override our most fundamental recognition of each other's humanity?  This policy is cruel and in no way Christian.


I support this policy!  I hope many more will come. Enough with destruction and delusion.

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Parents need to regain trust in schools, right now we don't have any. Children has the right to be protected against the extreme gender ideology, and all woke nonsense.


Really sick of politicians passing laws on medical topics they don't understand

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Gender "assigned at birth". Why do we say this? Isn't a boy a boy and a girl a girl? No. Around 1% of babies born around the world, including in the US, are born with "indetermiate gender". It's an awful thing for the parents. ("What did you have? A boy or a girl?" is always the first question asked). Tests are run to look at chromosomes. Examination is made of genetalia. Doctors may make a recommendation to the parents, or not. Sometimes they give all the information to the parents, who then have to make a decision. Surgery may be performed, to form genetalia for the gender which has been "assigned". Hormones may be given. The child might be made to look like one gender or the other but may also be sterile. All of this, often within a few weeks of birth. This narrow definition of what makes a woman or a man ignores the realities of many people's lives.  Maybe the Governor should actually, I don't know, TALK to some intersex people, or LGBTQ+ people, before passing legislation which impacts them.


Don't Let This Policy Pass

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I am trans myself and as a result I strongly oppose this policy. If passed, this policy would make most if not all transgender students in Virginia feel unsafe and uncomfortable and make school unbearable for most of them. Please, for the safety and comfort of transgender students in Virginia, do not let this policy pass!


I support Governor! Enough with "gender assigned at birth" BIOLOGY and ANATOMY are real things

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This woke trans is unrealistic, you are all setting up your children for misery. There is no positivity, acceptance or kindness in this ideology.

Children need to be protected from this indoctrination telling them that their anatomy don't match the way they feel. We need to protect sensitive boys and girls that are tomboys. They don't need to take hormones. They can be themselves with their biology, anatomy , and just being children without stupid pronouns and identities. Stop exposing kids to trans ideology.


Restore Parents' Rights in Education!

Dear Virginia Department of Education Officials,

Policies for transgender students implemented in states and school districts across the United States have sought to exclude parents from vital conversations about their child's education and wellbeing.

Former Governor Ralph Northam's administration chipped away at the rights of Virginia parents with its 2021 model policies for transgender students. Those policies explicitly stated that school officials were not always required to tell parents about their child's decision to use a new name and pronouns at school.

I'm writing in support of the Youngkin administration's new model policies, "On the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents In Virginia's Public Schools," which enshrine the rights of parents to direct the upbringing of their child while respecting all students across the Commonwealth.

Thank you for your commitment to parents' rights in education. I urge you to implement the policies as written and restore the right and responsibility of parents to make the best decisions for their child.

Regards,
Nikki Atkinson
504 Rose Hill Ave
Clarksville, VA 23927

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Dear Virginia Department of Education Officials,<br /><br />Policies for transgender students implemented in states and school districts across the United States have sought to exclude parents from vital conversations about their child's education and wellbeing. <br /><br />Former Governor Ralph Northam's administration chipped away at the rights of Virginia parents with its 2021 model policies for transgender students. Those policies explicitly stated that school officials were not always required to tell parents about their child's decision to use a new name and pronouns at school. <br /><br />I'm writing in support of the Youngkin administration's new model policies, "On the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents In Virginia's Public Schools," which enshrine the rights of parents to direct the upbringing of their child while respecting all students across the Commonwealth. <br /><br />Thank you for your commitment to parents' rights in education. I urge you to implement the policies as written and restore the right and responsibility of parents to make the best decisions for their child.<br /><br />Regards,
<br />Nikki Atkinson
<br />504 Rose Hill Ave<br />Clarksville, VA 23927<br /><img src="http://admin.phone2action.com/email/open/leg/657466/148549609" width="1" height="1" />


What are you thinking?

Charmaine Carter, Survivors of the Lion's Den

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I think the suggestion that the transgender students have to get permission from their parents just to use the right bathroom for them is crazy. Obviously, the people who created this isn't nor doesn't have a transgender child. Still in this age, people have hard time dealing with people being gay or bi-sexual, especially inside the family. I have seen people I have known since I was a teenager disowned or verbally attack their own grown children because she stated that she was a Lesbian. These people are either truly naive or are hoping that parents are going to make it easy to not have to comply with the law. Most parents would rather their children stay in the closet or be silent than to have their children, truly be themselves.

I pray this never passes, ever !!!


Restore Parents' Rights in Education!

Dear Virginia Department of Education Officials,

Over the past two years, schools across the United States have excluded parents from vital matters regarding the education and wellbeing of their children.

Former Governor Ralph Northam's 2021 Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virginia's Public Schools did just that. Those policies said: "There are no regulations requiring school staff to notify a parent or guardian of a student's request to affirm their gender identity, and school staff should work with students to help them share the information with their family when they are ready to do so."

But your new Model Policies On the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents in Virginia's Public Schools return to parents the right to direct their children's upbringing.

Thank you for supporting parents and parental rights in education. It's vital that you move forward with these policies and restore parents' rights to direct the education and upbringing of their children.

Regards,
Joseph Diorio
832 Walker Rd
Great Falls, VA 22066

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Dear Virginia Department of Education Officials,<br /><br />Over the past two years, schools across the United States have excluded parents from vital matters regarding the education and wellbeing of their children.<br /><br />Former Governor Ralph Northam's 2021 Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virginia's Public Schools did just that. Those policies said: "There are no regulations requiring school staff to notify a parent or guardian of a student's request to affirm their gender identity, and school staff should work with students to help them share the information with their family when they are ready to do so." <br /><br />But your new Model Policies On the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents in Virginia's Public Schools return to parents the right to direct their children's upbringing. <br /><br />Thank you for supporting parents and parental rights in education. It's vital that you move forward with these policies and restore parents' rights to direct the education and upbringing of their children.<br /><br />Regards,
<br />Joseph Diorio
<br />832 Walker Rd<br />Great Falls, VA 22066<br /><img src="http://admin.phone2action.com/email/open/leg/657466/148549517" width="1" height="1" />


Support for Gov.Youngkin’s policy

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Parents are a child’s first teachers and need to have their rights respected. Children are a gift from God and born into families to care for and guide them. Schools do not take the place of parents nor do children belong to the state.


I support Governor Youngkin to protect our families

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<p>I send my kids to school for academic learning, and I trust my kids won't be indoctrinated. It is scary to know how the woke ideology is making its way into academics of children and adults. We parent's have had enough. Sexualizing children is a crime, pushing your beliefs onto school children is wrong too. </p>


I support Gov. Youngkin's Model Policies 2022

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As a concerned parent, here are 3 reasons why I support Govenor Youngkin's Model Policies:

Parents have the right to determine what is best for their child.

All students must be respected, not just transgender students.

Only parents should be able to change names and pronouns of their children.

Thank you!


I support! Trans already has human rights, NOT criminal or pedo rights, so appreciate being human

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Schools need to focus on academic education, stop messing up with children's head. We parents take care of their morals and values, and advise who we want them to be kind with. Definitely no kindness to anybody who dare to talk about their private area, or try to confuse them with nonsense ideologies to groom for sick people's pleasure.

Protect parent's rights and children's innocence. Ideologies are cults and need to be out of schools. Delusional history needs to be called out as is.


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The 2022 Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools does not meet Virginia Code 22.1-23.3.

Unlike the 2021 Model Policies, the 2022 Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools document does not actually contain “model policies” for school boards concerning the treatment of transgender students in public elementary and secondary schools that address common issues regarding transgender students in accordance with evidence-based best practices as required.

The 2022 document declares the entire document, including the purpose, guiding principles, statutory authority and requirements, terminology, development (background), and additional related laws as the “2022 Model Policies”. There are no “model policies,” and the document does not clearly address all eight key areas identified in the Virginia Code 22.1-23.3. The section titled “Guiding Principles” includes at least a dozen requirements (shall). How is that guidance?

Rather than provide “model policies,” the 2022 document requires school boards to have policies that reflect respecting parents’ values and beliefs, deferring to parents to make the best decisions with respect to their children, keeping parents informed about their children’s well-being, keeping parents fully informed about all matters reasonably expected to be important to a parent. The document requires school boards to have policies that reflect that schools serve the needs of all students, partner with parents, and respect all students.

The 2021 Model Policies provide more clarity for school boards to consider, accept, reject, or expand on and are much closer to meeting the Virginia Code requirements. The 2021 Model Policies have “model policies” along with information and background related to the Virginia Code and each of the eight policy areas while the 2022 document is more about parents and leaves more to interpretation beyond the Virginia Code. I support reverting to the 2021 Model Policies or sending the 2022 document back to the Department of Education to draft “model policies” clearly addressing the eight items required by the Virginia Code.


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I strongly support the Youngkin administration’s 2022 policy protecting the rights of students


I support this policy! Your freedom ends when it becomes a crime against others (KIDS)

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Dangerous ideologies need to be studied by specialist, not put into test in schools and universities. Trans and woke lunacy needs to be treated as such, a mental disorder trying to bring disorder in society. Science and academics need to be preserved. Any disrespectful brat screaming in universities or schools need to be kicked out and not allowed back in again. Parent's rights in education is the very least we are expecting right now.


I support this policy! Restore parent's right's in education. Restore academic education!

someone who have had enough of woke nonsense

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Our families are in danger, our children are more vulnerable to sexual grooming than ever, and our education system is also in jeopardy. The woke movement is not contributing to anything. They are just destroying institutions, changing history and science as they please, and going after our children. Who is going to stop them? I hope reality prevails.


School board members that defy the Governor’s guidance will be personally negligent.

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Superintendents and school board members will be held personally responsible both criminally and financially if they vote to defy the governors orders and keep secrets from the parents. When you vote to let your staff counsel the children and a child commits suicide, you will be sued. When a child  is sexually assaulted in the bathroom after you voted to defy the governor’s orders, you will be held responsible. It’s not a matter of if but when. Good luck.


Parents have the rights to be involved in their child's education and upbringing. Let kids be kids

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Let kids be kids and stop trying to sexualize their elementary school experience


Freedom of Self-Expression

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My daughter has repeatedly faced bullying and harassment due to her identifying with a gender other than that she was assigned at birth. While I agree that parents have the right to determine how their children should be raised and educated, I am vehemently against the idea that our children's own genuine thoughts and feelings should be suppressed in favor of what I or any other parent believe is the "correct" way of thinking or acting. I want my daughter to have a comfortable, safe environment to express herself in, one that's free of harassment and negativity. She should not have to fear that voicing herself in any way might result in any sort of disciplinary consequences. Just as we, the caring parents of our collective youth, have the right to the First Amendment, so should our children. They have just as much a right to think and speak for themselves as we do. It's what He would have wanted - "As you wish that others would do to you, do so to them." (Luke 6:31) Please, I ask you to think of how this act will affect our children for years to come.


I support this policy! trans and woke has no right to groom kids and expose them to delusion

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Virginia needs to get a hold on child protection from the wave of groomers and pedophiles that are coming for the kids, targeting to destroy families and children's futures.

Stop making it all about trans identity and sexuality. nobody cares. Get your disgusting sexual information and behavior out of our faces, being whatever you identity with does not make you a hero, makes you delusional. Leave our children alone. Open a trans cult and go preach for your own kind. stop shoving this delusional lie onto innocent children and just folks trying to leave a life.


I OPPOSE the guidance

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<p>This is really disgusting that someone would want to do this just in the name of bigotry </p>


I support this policy and protection of parent's rights in education

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Protect parent's rights in education. Protect girls' sports and women's rights in Virginia. Protect reality from this delusional ideology that are targeting our children, where the vulnerable will suffer the most.


Transgender rights

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I urge a vote against this bill. I have had many students who have suffered from the shame of being different. We need to support these children in whatever way possible to help them navigate their difference.


Policy


Support policy that stops exposing my daughter to boy’s penis and balls in her locker room.

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The perverse progressive has no boundaries. The woke mob has the Democratic base fleeing. I used to be a Democrat but can’t handle the woke mob any longer. Leave kids out of your agendas!


I support this policy! Protect our children from sexual exposure. Protect their future!

remove groomers and woke ideoly from our schools

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<p>Protect parent's rights. protect children from being exposed to this woke ideology and gender confusion. Let kids enjoy their innocence. Look at the poor kids being taken to adult drag strip shows. If you can't protect children from their parents, have at least a safe normal environment at school where for a moment they won't be indoctrinated about 'genders", "pronouns", how to masturbate and have sex. Sexualization of children is a crime, and has no place in any grade of schools or college. </p>


Restore parent's right! I support more drastic measurements to get wokeness out of Virginia

enough with the growing disrespect for families and authorities by brats

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Parent's rights in education and more drastic measurements to cancel the lunatic wokeness in Universities and schools. Spreading lies through books, affecting the vulnerable youth into destruction. We can't stand the entitlement of the most lazy and spoiled part of our society. Leave our children alone. Governor Youngkin, protect our children from sexual content in schools and woke  indoctrination.


Support! trans and pedo groomers get your cult out of our schools

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<p>School needs to protect children from trans ideology. Children go to school for academics, not to be groomed. This has to be stopped. This ideology is growing in disrespect for all of us, their mission is to destroy vulnerable kids lives, there is no kindness in their ideological movement, just hatred and entitlement. They have to be stopped! </p>