Rescind the proposed 2022 Model Policies because they discriminate against trans students

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As the parent of a student in Arlington Public Schools, I strongly oppose the proposed 2022 Model Policies on the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for all Students and Parents in Virginia’s Public Schools. I supported the evidence-based 2021 Model Policies on Transgender Students that protected trans students in school.

The proposed 2022 model policies go against the Virginia Human Rights Act, which expressly protects individuals from discrimination on the basis of gender identity in educational institutions. Schools should not be a place where transgender students feel unsafe or face discrimination.

Creating safe spaces at school for transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive students allow these students to learn with less anxiety and worry over bathrooms and changing spaces for PE, and to feel safe from bullying and discrimination. Teachers and school administrators and staff must be free to support these students in accordance with the evidence-based recommendations of the major medical and mental health professional associations.

The 2022 model policies specifically discriminate against transgender students who are independently exploring their gender identity when their parents don’t accept them. These proposed model policies define transgender students as only those whose parents affirm them. Far too many young people can’t tell their parents about their gender identity because they fear that they will be abused or kicked out of their home. Public schools in Virginia must be a safe, affirming place for them, not another place where their identity is rejected.

As a parent, I want transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive students to feel safe and to thrive in school. These 2022 proposed model policies will make school much harder for these students and should be rejected. Please rescind these proposed 2022 model policies and reinstate the affirming 2021 Model Policies on Transgender Students.


Mixed Views

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The new guidelines seem to promote "a specific viewpoint aimed at achieving cultural and social transformation in schools" just as much as the 2021 model.  The 2021 model policies at least prioritize the well-being of the students with whom teachers and school staff interact every day.  Many of the policies are common-sense and strive to be inclusive of all students, even if they could go too far in some cases.

For example, being called by their preferred name and pronouns is very important to transgender students, and that is a simple way to support the students as people.  On the other hand, it can be difficult to teach an old dog new tricks, so teachers and staff should not be punished for the inevitable mistake.  Outright refusal by teachers can only harm the child's education by creating an oppositional relationship where there was an opportunity to build trust.

Also, single-sex bathrooms should be limited to those born as a given biological sex, but single-user and/or non-gendered bathrooms are a reasonable solution.

The most concerning part of the new model policies is the assumption that the old policies  "[require] individuals to adhere to or adopt a particular ideological belief" or "[compel] speech that is contrary to an individual’s personal or religious beliefs."  There is a clear difference between being compelled to believe something oneself and supporting a student in whatever difficulties they face.  Being compassionate does not require adopting the other person's ideology or abandoning one's religion.  I can't imagine a teacher would refuse to engage with a student who is struggling with parental divorce or suicidal ideations on the grounds of religion or personal belief.  One would seem to be terribly fragile if they could not work for the good of all students.  If a teacher's beliefs are so entrenched that they can't offer struggling children a little empathy, perhaps they need to teach at a religious school.  (And those schools should not be funded with public dollars.  They can teach what they want, but they should pay for it themselves.)

The new model also emphasizes parental rights.  Certainly, parents should be free to raise their children as they see fit within the law.  But the unfortunate fact is that many parents are unable or unwilling to support their children as well as the children deserve, and so schools are forced to take on roles beyond education.  Other students may not be comfortable telling their parents about struggles with gender identity.  Teachers and other school employees might be the only trusted adults these students can go to.  However, it seems like the new  proposal will discourage students from using that opportunity, which will lead to worse outcomes for their health and personal development as well as their education.


Support Trans Kids

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I'm writing to oppose the educational proposals that would make it unsafe for trans and gender nonbinary children in schools. As Virginians, we want children to be happy when learning, and we want the safest environment possible so that school can be a good place. Harming trans children with these policies does not make school safer or more enjoyable. We will look back in the future and see if we upheld the dignity of all human beings or if we failed. Let's not fail our children. Sic semper tyrannis.


Gender-based dress codes?

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What do you mean by “gender-based”

dress codes?


Please Do Not Impose This Discrimination Against LGBTQ+ students

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I live in Fairfax County and my daughter attended public school here.

I am strongly opposed to the imposition of the new regulation of students' autonomy and discrimination against the rights of LGBTQ+ young people, especially transgender students in Virginia. The new rule uses the 14th Amendment as support for this action, not recognizing that the 14th amendment explicitly sought to guarantee the bodily freedom of formerly enslaved Americans, to support their autonomy and personhood. This is a policy that supports bigotry and harms young people and I truly don't understand how the government of any state can defend such actions. To stop teachers from exercising compassion and respect for their students' choices and requests to use a particular name or pronoun is cruel. To block students' right to freely explore and express their own identities is the opposite of what every school should be doing. Understanding oneself and one's place in a larger community is one essential goal of a well-rounded education, isn't it?Instead, the state seems determined to put new stresses and mandates on teachers, to deny the personhood of students, and to give in to one—just one—particular religion's view of the right way to be in the world. Virginia claims to be the birthplace of religious freedom and tolerance, and now are we the place where it dies?

Please reconsider and strike down this absurd and cruel new set of rules. If you don't, students will experience even more psychological pain than they have endured over the past few years of the pandemic, and some will take their own lives. This is born out in the statistics many other commenters have cited. Why do something you know will harm kids, when you have another path you could follow?

I'm the mother of a recent graduate of Fairfax County Public Schools and still know many wonderful kids, including transgender kids, who are contributing amazing things to their communities. All I can feel now is deep shame at what is happening in our schools today and sadness for all the kids who will attend in the future until this rule is struck down in the courts, which I hope happens as quickly as possible.


Protect Trans Kids - RESCIND Proposed model

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This proposed model will limit the school as a safe place for kids to be themselves and learn. It will detrimentally impact transgender and nonbinary youth. These proposed model policies are contrary to state law and will be extremely harmful to transgender and nonbinary kids.  Protect trans and nonbinary kids!


Supporting parents rights

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The new policies honor the sacred role of parents in the care of their children during school, athletics and other activities.

Parents know their children’s needs better than anyone. If children are struggling with gender dysphoria, they need guidance and emotional support from parents. Under the new policies, school officials must keep parents fully informed, and require schools to enforce laws, regulations and policies that prohibit and deter bullying or harassment.

Student participation in sex-specific athletics, school activities and events should be determined by sex, e.g., for overnight travel accommodations and locker rooms.

Students should use the bathrooms that correspond to their sex. Single-user bathrooms and facilities should be made available in accessible areas and provided with appropriate signage, indicating accessibility for all students.

The new policies protect the fundamental religious liberty interests of personnel and students.


FULL SUPPORT

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<p>I do not support pandering to a mental illness. </p>


Support trans rights-Strongly oppose this policy

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Children know themselves & need to be free to explore any aspect of their identity. It's ignorant adults who pervert what is natural & normal in human development. Kids should NEVER be shamed or gaslit or lied to whenever they express anything about their experience moving through the world & learning about it & themselves. We must not prioritize 'keeping the peace' with ignorant frightened adults who know nothing about what it means to be trans & who don't care that trans rights (& all LGBTQ+ rights) are under attack right now. There is no shortage of research showing that supporting trans kids is important for their mental health. Respect children, trust them, listen to them. We don't need more adults in the world struggling because they weren't supported when they were kids. Ignore the conservative 'tough guy' stances from people with zero skin in the game. They don't care about children, if they did they would take the time to educate themselves & be on the side of justice, compassion, children's rights & trans rights.


Parents are the child guardian, not schools!

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It is my view that parents are the LEGAL guardians of their children. It is their right and duty to teach and guide their children in faith, morality, sex, make health and welness decisions, and many other such topics. The purpose of the schools and, by proximity, the teachers and school boards, is to teach these children in subjects such as math, English and writing, science, and history. There is no other category that Public schools should be promoting or teaching. If a student is displaying signs or symptoms of a health problem or mental wellness is at risk, the parent is the one to make a judgment call on what is best for their child, not the school. I applaud Governor Young King for bringing some of this back into focus and placing the responsibility of raisin children back with the parents.


Strongly oppose

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<p>These policies are going to hurt trans children, push them out of their homes, and leave them without financial aid. They are wrong. </p>


Human Rights

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Discrediting children and the way they want to be viewed/treated in this world is damaging and deadly. Recognizing a persons pronouns and calling them by their chosen name is what we already do when we use a nickname for someone. It is IMPERATIVE that we, Virginians, protect these children from bullying and discrimination.


Oppose the new policies on Trans people

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<p>These policies are clearly to hurt and ostracize the Trans people and any child who may be questioning their own sexuality. Please do not enact these new policies. </p>


Strongly support the Governor's move support families, parental rights and constrain govt

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The previous policy was an overreach and failed to demonstrate a compelling interest to exclude parents from critical information regarding the safety and well-being of their children. Thank you, Governor for enforcing the 14th Amendment protections of families and recognizing that parents are in the best position to determine what is best for their child.

This is a well-thought-out policy that identifies the LAWS that are applicable, as well as case precedent.


Strongly Oppose

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As a parent of a transgender child in Albemarle County I continue to support the further adoption statewide of the 2021 model policies that create a safe and inclusive environment for all students. The new draft model policy proposed by Governor Youngkin removes this support for transgender and non-binary youth during a time when all youth struggle with expressing their true self, regardless of race, sex, or creed. Providing supportive environments for our youth, whether in the classroom, at home, or in the community, is imperative.

Additionally, I do not believe that my current parental rights are diminished by the current model policies. My wife and I are involved, attentive, and supportive parents, which has allowed our children to express their wants and needs and for us to further support them as those wants and needs evolve. I’m saddened when I hear stories of other youth who don’t grow up in an environment such as our children. This new draft model policy would remove the one safe space a significant number of these youth have to express their true self and be supported.


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,
Monica Mell
806 Turner Rd
Richmond, VA 23225

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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 />Monica Mell
<br />806 Turner Rd<br />Richmond, VA 23225<br /><img src="http://admin.phone2action.com/email/open/leg/657523/148810453" width="1" height="1" />


It is a grave mistake to pass this.

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It is a grave mistake to pass this.


Parents rights

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The new policies honor the sacred role of parents in the care of their children during school, athletics, and after school activities.  I support Gov. Youngkin's proposed Model Policies.


Strongly support

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I strongly support this new policy.  We are currently catering to 2% of the population at the expense of the 98% in schools.  Gender dysphoria is becoming trendy and a social containgen.  Parents must be involved to navigate this insanity.


Keep your politics, and rules away from everyones/Trans youths mind, soul and bodies.

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<p>Trans rights are human rights, </p>


Support for complete justice

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I see a lot of anger and opposition to the proposed policy. Having read through and become acquainted with the policy, it is clear that the Governor is taking a position to protect parents and non-LGBTQ youth. A firm stand for traditional values is certainly called for in the face of an all-out attack by forces intent on destroying family as the basic unit of society. Their motives are suspect in that they do little to acknowledge, let alone support anyone who disagrees with even one point of their agenda. This is not justice, it is tyranny. Allowing 97% of the population to live by their values is not injustice to the other 3%. Those who live by other rules or standards can be allowed to do as they please without harm to anyone. Justice requires equal recognition of rights, not equal outcomes for all. That is impossible. Protection of young minds and bodies is our duty. These policies move us in that direction. I fully support the policy espoused by Gov. Youngkin, and hope that the Legislature will move to implement this policy by law at their next opportunity.


Strongly opposed. Trans rights are human rights!!!

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As someone in the queer community who has seen many of my trans friends through their processes of coming out, identifying as trans, and sometimes physically transitioning, I can say with absolute certainty that protecting children REQUIRES the opposition of this policy. Trans people are more vulnerable to so many other challenges already, the best we can do for them is to support the navigation of gender identity throughout adolescence and empower them to leave healthy, full, and fulfilled lives.

Please - show some humanity and OPPOSE!


Transgender policies in schools

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<p>I support Gov. Youngkin's proposed policies regarding transgender students in public schools.  Parents are the primary educators of their children and should be fully informed about whatever involves their children's behavior in school.  The transgender ideology should not be pushed on innocent children.  </p>


I support Youngkin's policy 100%, thank you for standing with us Governor!!!

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Thanks to all fellow supporters!


STRONGLY OPPOSE!!!

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Strongly oppose! Please protect our children and their innocence.


Strongly support

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<p>Parents should be envolved </p>


Oppose - protect LGBT youth

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<p>I strongly oppose this. LGBT youth should be given a safe space to learn and be who they are regardless of their parents’ beliefs. Anyone should be allowed to express themselves as they see fit rather than how their parents wish for them to be. As long as they are not causing harm to themselves or others why does it matter how someone expresses themselves? This would cause more harm to LGBT youth by making them feel like they don’t have a voice or a safe place away from home, if needed. Listen to LGBT youth and support them. They are already facing so many more battles than their non-LGBT peers. They need to be protected when they are most vulnerable. </p>


Strongly Opposed

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I'm so tired of the religious right telling everyone else how to live. Why doesn't the governor actually talk to some Trans kids to get their perspective?


Good News!

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Thank you for your Team's time creating the Sample Policy. Thank you for supporting truth, parents and children. Have a great day serving...


I am strongly OPPOSED to this.

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<p>I am strongly opposed to this. </p>


If you are at all about children, please do not let this pass

As a parent of a transgender teen, I have learned a LOT about what it is to be transgender over the past few years. If you care at all about children - PLEASE talk with medical providers, mental health providers, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics to understand the best practices and guidelines for the treatment of transgender children.  Many people are mis-informed about what it is to be transgender, and that misinformation is coming from political and religious leaders who are using this issue to rile people up.  If you care enough about all children - Please EDUCATE yourself before accepting misinformation.If you care about all children - understand that being transgender has NOTHING TO DO WITH MORALITY.  It is science (and it is not new).If you care about all children - Please respect transgender children as you would any other child.Transgender people are not a threat.  They are human beings with feelings and want to be accepted for who they are,  just like you.
Transgender children are among the most vulnerable people in our society right now.  Their lives are more important to me than anyone's political gains.Please handle with care.

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As a parent of a transgender teen, I have learned a LOT about what it is to be transgender over the past few years.

If you care at all about children - PLEASE talk with medical providers, mental health providers, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics to understand the best practices and guidelines for the treatment of transgender children.  Many people are mis-informed about what it is to be transgender, and that misinformation is coming from political and religious leaders who are using this issue to rile people up.

If you care enough about all children - Please EDUCATE yourself before accepting misinformation.

If you care about all children - understand that being transgender has NOTHING TO DO WITH MORALITY.  It is science (and it is not new).

If you care about all children - Please respect transgender children as you would any other child.

Transgender people are not a threat.  They are human beings with feelings and want to be accepted for who they are,  just like you.

Transgender children are among the most vulnerable people in our society right now.  Their lives are more important to me than anyone's political gains.

Please handle with care.


I agree to reinstate parents right at Virginia Public Schools. Not gender ideologies into schools!!

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Mr. Governor: who writes is a Catholic mom who is very concerned about all new things appearing in social media, music, politics and having two kids in Virginia Public schools make me feel insecure about what my kids are learning if they see and being teach to don’t confirm their identity as human being until they feel it. It’s something that as my point of view, confused, absurd, and dangerous. I teach my kids to respect all people regarding sex, race , position. But to obligate kids to learn something new that is not in God’s purpose is not tolerating.  I hope you as a parent too would understand that kids don’t deserve this. When they are still growing and discovering stages in their life’s. Theses are stages when more need of parents help and support to do the correct thing. Put these before on Prayers as I will do too. Don’t make a quick decision. It’s youth lives that are on risk. God is observing, and whatever it’s decided would impact on our kids lives. I will be praying for you. God bless you. Thanks.


At Stone Bridge HS a boy put on a skirt, entered the girl's bathroom and raped a girl

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I support the Governor's policy.  I do not want people born as men to be able to use my daughter's bathroom at school.


I stand with trans kids, strongly oppose this policy

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Allow children to be who they are and identify how they wish.

Strongly oppose this policy


Approve the 2022 Guidelines

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Approve the new 2022 guidelines. This is not something teachers need to be involved in and if a child needs these conversations to be had the counselor can call the parent and help them all work on it. Keeping the parents in the dark will cause more anxiety and depression issues. These guidelines are in no way written to hurt these kids. Our society is already breaking down at an alarming rate and now we want the schools to put a wedge between children and their parents.


Strongly Oppose

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<p>As an educator since 1986, through all the ups and downs of LGBTQ+ acceptance and integration, I have heard from LGBTQ+ students just how much protection and respect from the adults in their environment means them.  The youth of Virginia have made it clear that they don't want their classmates treated the way the governor proposes.  I think this issue should be up to them since they will have to live with it.  They want all their classmates to be treated fairly and caringly and allowed to be themselves, so I think this proposal should be defeated.  </p>


Waste of my tax dollar to harrass kids in school

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The so called model policy for transgender students is just playing politics with kids lives. Governor Younkin ran as a moderate.  I regret my vote bc he is governing like a radical.  I thought the GOP was against big government and over regulation. So why this policy?  Protect kids who are different and ensure they get a decent education in what ever bathroom or attire they wish.  Assault weapons have killed many more students than transgender kids.


almost died from being outed in college- can't imagine the impact on younger teens

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I knew that I was a lesbian since I was 14. However, being raised in a southern, conservative, Christian household, I knew that I had to keep this very large secret as close to me as possible, at least until I was older.

I did my best in school, got into a good college, and pursued a very highly-regarded professional career path. I loved what I studied, held various leadership roles around campus, and helped to tutor students younger than me.

Outside of this horrible angst surrounding my sexual orientation and gender expression (as a bit of tomboy), I was generally someone you'd want to have your community, and was someone who contributed a lot to our greater society with through my professional work.

When I was 21 and still in college, I was accidentally outed to my entire academic department and to my family. My family disowned me, and I spent my final portion of undergrad sleeping and crying on friend's sofas, and working nearly full-time while attending school. In school I was socially ostracized, and sexually harassed my other students and one much older professor.

Because I was still under 24, and my parents wanted to punish me for being queer, they refused to fill out the FAFSA- meaning that I had no access to student loans in any capacity. I had to rely entirely on merit-based scholarship money, any money that I made, and honestly just a lot of charity through folks at my college. The impact of my parent's financial abuse was horrible. They genuinely did their best to stunt me in every aspect- because they did not want to see a successful, healthy adult daughter, who also happened to be queer. It was entirely mean-spirited and vengeful.

During this time in my life, my mental health struggled immensely. I was working between 60-80 hours a week between work and schoolwork, and without being able to afford therapy, turned to alcohol to cope. I didn't realize what a problem it would become, and ended up accidentally overdosing at 22, and suffering a stroke. I nearly died.

I'm now in my mid-20s, and have a successful white-collar, professional career. I moved to the West Coast. Virginia is home and I miss it every day, but I just did not feel valued at all within the pre-existing social structures and wider culture. I have long-term sobriety, am completely financially independent, and can afford therapy.

What I went through was so damaging, and so traumatic. It was bad. To me, 21 seems so young- I was truly still a bit of an adolescent then-- literally just a baby. I really shudder to think of what it would have been like had I been younger high school student, with no college education to even begin with, and even less resources.

If this policy is adopted, LGBT youth will die, like how I almost did.

I got extremely lucky, but not everyone will have the luck that I did.

Without a doubt other families will pull the same financial abuse tactics that mine did- refusing to fill out the FAFSA, even after disowning their queer children, to prevent them from ever accessing a college education.

And the chilling truth too- is that a lot of Virginia families, just like mine, would much rather have a dead daughter, than a daughter who is a dyke.


OPPOSE new policy

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<p>It seems clear the authors of the revised policy have not read the research/resources provided in the existing policy.  The proposed policy creates legislative obstacles to those who wish to support students - especially those who do not have supportive parents.  </p>


Vehemently Opposed: Forcing teachers to out students puts everyone in danger

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I am an agender voter from Arlington County who attended Virginia Public School in the 90's-00's. As a person that only felt safe and confident enough to explore my gender identity and come out as nonbinary in my thirties, I can attest to the deep and lasting harm that a hostile  stigmatization and queerphobia inflicts upon children, specifically within the Virginia Educational System. If I had access to inclusive education around gender and supportive teachers growing up rather than a hostile and thinly veiled religious learning environment, I can only imagine how much happier and healthier my childhood and early adulthood would have been.

Our schools need to be havens of acceptance, and nurturing for all students, not a sites of fear, threat, and discrimination. Research shows that having at least one accepting adult available can reduce the risk of suicide attempt among LGBTQ+ young people by 40 percent. Forcing teachers to involve parents when addressing gender identity in school will put already vulnerable kids at risk on both a psychological and physical level, especially if their teacher is their only safe space. Creating a classroom culture where exploration and growth is punished and restricted by these discriminatory and harmful requirements is antithetical to the mission of our schools: healthy learning and growth for all learners and educators.

We must protect the rights and lives of all of our students. This policy will threaten and degrade them. For these reasons and so many others, I oppose this legislation in the strongest possible terms.


Unecessary, Horrific, Racist Law

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Youngkill is an extremely dangerous politician.  How dare he use children to achieve his racist policies.  He is a rich, misguided, racist who only cares about enacting laws that will destroy, divide and hurt children & families.  I am thrilled FCPS & Alexandria Schools have voted to ignore this dangerous, totally unnecessary law.  Can hardly wait until this man is out of office.


OPPOSE 2022 - As a VA Educator, Oppose Proposed policies, clearly anti-student and anti-family.

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These policies are clearly thinly veiled attempts to keep young humans from being able to feel supported and safe in school. As an educator of 16-19 year olds, I see time and time again what lack of allowing students to be themselves does to their self-esteem and ability to focus on learning and growing beyond k-12 school. Often the students know dear friends who have ended their own lives because of measures like the new administration’s  proposed policies. Families will make loving decisions the best way the can and the way that the state can positively support that happening is to start where their jurisdiction is - at school- making it an inclusive environment that supports families and students of ALL kids, but *especially* those who would be ostracized or most risk to be murdered or end their own lives - according to all the data we currently have, that is most often our trans* kids of color. Period.
School boards have power to either support students and help them literally feel heard, seen, validated and taken seriously- wherever they are at in their development. Imagine this- ask the students what they want instead of adopting these policies that carry out vitriolic personal hatred for how human beings identify or what bathroom they choose to pee in and focus on adopting policies that actually enable and empower students- and by extension their families - to learn and grow.


Opposed to the Proposed Changes

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I am strongly opposed to the proposed changes.  By requiring school staff to out a student to their parents or guardians, could cause more harm than good.  For some students, school is a safe place; their home environment.  Students may get kicked out of their home and completely cut off.  If schools are not a welcoming environment, students may drop out or, as studies have shown, that over half of all transgender and gender expansive youth considered killing themselves.

Schools should be a welcoming and supporting place for all students, especially for transgender and gender expansive students.


strongly oppose

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<p>trans students or student of differing identities deserve to feel safe in their school environment </p>


Support the Policy to protect children

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The policy offers common sense as it respects the rights of the majority of children while providing accommodation for those who are suffering from gender dysphoria. The guidelines are particularly necessary in regards to sports teams, locker rooms and bathrooms. I highly commend the adoption of this policy.


These changes terrify me and other LGBTQ+ students

Felicity Banner, Pride Liberation Project

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If these changes go through, school will become a dangerous area for queer and trans students. We want school to feel safe, especially for those who don’t have safe households who don’t accept them. When the model trans policies were first put in place by Gov Northam, they saved many students from bullying and even committing su!cide. They made students feel safe at school but if they are taken away, queer and trans students are in danger. We need to stop these changes from going through to protect ourselves and keep us alive and well.


Support the new policy

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<p>Schools are not equipped for this.  They are not medical doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, etc. No one cares for their kids more than their parents.  This is part of a radical agenda to circumvent parents.   </p>


Model Policies Regarding Transgender Students

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<p>Let me start by saying that equal rights do not mean special rights.  While it is true that every student should feel safe and protected.  That does not mean one student's rights can infringe on the rights of other students.  Our society has, unfortunately, evolved into everyone thinking they deserve to be treated exactly how they want to be treated no matter if it denies others their rights. </p>


October 26, 2022

President Daniel A. Gecker
Board of Education
Virginia Department of Education
P.O. Box 2120
Richmond, VA 23218

Submitted via townhall.virginia.gov
Re:      Opposition to Proposed 2022 Model Policies Requiring Discrimination Against Transgender and Nonbinary Students
Dear President Gecker:
The Virginia Education Association (VEA) and the National Education Association (NEA) jointly submit these comments on the proposed “Model Policies on the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents in Virginia Public Schools” (“proposed Model Policies”). VEA is a union of more than 40,000 teachers and school support professionals that has advocated for the betterment of public education in the Commonwealth since 1863. NEA is the national union with which VEA is affiliated, and represents about 3 million members across the United States.
Educators strive every day to ensure that students have what they need to learn and grow, and they work to build school communities where every student is supported and feels a sense of belonging. Educators are committed to these principles and know them to be the vital work of public schools, regardless of the political winds. VEA and NEA have a strong interest in ensuring that all public schools are safe and inclusive environments where all students, no matter what they look like, where they come from, or how they identify can thrive and prepare for their future. It is for this reason that VEA and NEA strongly oppose the proposed Model Policies.
Just last year, Virginia public schools had the benefit of model policies (“2021 Model Policies”) that were developed and informed by community partners that serve LGBTQ+ youth, the Virginia Department of Education, and over 9,000 public comments. The 2021 Model Policies, which affirmed the rights of transgender and nonbinary students to participate in school programs, access gender-separated school facilities, and be referred to by their correct names and pronouns were based on and aligned with well-documented best practices for fostering positive school climates.[1]
The 2021 Model Policies were also consistent with the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) best practices “for improving safety and connectedness in schools for both LGBTQ+ youth and their cisgender, heterosexual peers.”[2]  For example, the CDC’s core competencies for school districts includes using affirming pronouns. It is well-established that LGBTQ+ youth fare significantly better in schools with inclusive policies and supportive teachers.[3] The positive effects of inclusive policies that recognize the equality and dignity of all students extend not only to LGBTQ+ students, but also to their cisgender, heterosexual peers. As CDC research has found, “[T]he more LGBTQ-supportive policies and practices a school implements, the better the student health outcomes.”[4]  School climates that are safe and inclusive for LGBTQ+ students are good for all students. VEA and NEA urge that Virginia schools follow the evidence and do more, not less, to combat bullying and oppression of LGBTQ+ students.[5]
In contrast to the 2021 Model Policies, and contrary to the great weight of the evidence and established best practices, the proposed Model Policies would require discredited practices that would harm individual students and degrade school climates. The proposed Model Policies would disregard students’ genders and force them to use school facilities and programs matching their “birth sex,” allow and even require harassment and bullying of transgender and nonbinary students by requiring misgendering, and create barriers for students to change their names and pronouns at schools. While other students may simply inform their teacher if they want to be addressed in a particular manner, the proposed Model Policies would require parental “permission slips” for transgender and nonbinary students – and only these students – in order to be treated with the basic dignity and respect of being called by their names and referred to by their pronouns.
These proposed policies appear to have been developed without reference to any social-emotional pedagogy, mental health expertise, or public health foundation, and merely to further a political agenda. Although the proposed Model Policies are wrapped in a veneer of purported “privacy, dignity, and respect” for students and parents, they are in fact the opposite. They are a sadly familiar tactic of some politicians to target particular groups of people in order to divide and distract from the real needs of our students and communities.
As U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Goodwin eloquently articulated, such policies that ostracize a particular group of citizens are not unfamiliar in our democracy:
A fear of the unknown and discomfort with the unfamiliar have motivated many of the most malignant harms committed by our country’s governments on their own citizens. Out of fear of those less like them, the powerful have made laws that restricted who could attend what schools, who could work certain jobs, who could marry whom, and even how people can practice their religions. Recognizing that classifying human beings in ways that officially sanction harm is antithetical to democracy, the states ratified the Fourteenth Amendment. It ensures that no state may “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
B. P. J. v. W. Virginia State Bd. of Educ., 550 F. Supp. 3d 347, 350 (S.D.W. Va. 2021) (granting injunction against state law that barred a transgender student athlete from participating on a sports team consistent with her gender identity, holding that law violated the Equal Protection Clause and Title IX).

The proposed Model Policies pander to fears and lack of familiarity with transgender and nonbinary people to the detriment of some of our most vulnerable students. LGBTQ+ youth report high levels of depression and suicidal ideation. “They are particularly likely to experience feelings of sadness and hopelessness . . . and to be victims of bullying.”[6] An overwhelming majority (83%) of LGBTQ+ youth report being harassed or assaulted during the 2021-2022 academic year, and more than 80 percent of LGBTQ+ students reported feeling unsafe in school.[7]   The Trevor Project’s 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health found that 45 percent of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year.[8] The effects of hateful laws and policies targeting LGBTQ+ people only exacerbate the stress and trauma experienced by many LGBTQ+ students. Educators and students report threats, bullying, and harassment, particularly in states with new laws that sanction or encourage discrimination against LGBTQ+ people.[9]

The proposed Model Policies will also have profound negative impacts on non-LGBTQ+ students. Proposed practices that single out gender nonconforming students for surveillance, invasion of privacy, and harassment threaten equal opportunities for any cisgender girl who is not stereotypically feminine. For example, Utah parents recently called into question a female high school competitor’s gender after she outperformed the field in a statewide competition, and the Utah High School Activities Association has launched an investigation to review the parents’ complaint.[10] Such investigations will often result in traumatic, invasive and unnecessary policing of girls’ bodies. And due to widely held racial and gender stereotypes, such investigations will disproportionately impact Black and brown girls who do not conform to white societal norms.[11]
The proposed Model Policies will not only harm students who already suffer significantly higher rates of discrimination, harassment and bullying, and related poor mental health, but they will also harm educators. These policies are not self-enforcing; they require teachers, school counselors and nurses, and other school staff to carry them out. These policies would compel school staff who care deeply about the well-being of their students to “out” transgender students, regardless of their desire to protect students. It would require staff to harm transgender and nonbinary students by misgendering them, forcing them to use school facilities matching their birth sex, imposing second-class privacy rights, and creating school climates that increase bullying and harassment. This is antithetical to the most fundamental, deeply held values and beliefs of many educators. Treating a particular group of students as less deserving of respect, autonomy and privacy is also at odds with what many educators understand to be core principles of their professional obligation to treat all students with dignity and acceptance for who they are and to foster learning environments based on respect and inclusion.[12]
In addition to harming individual students and educators and degrading school climates, VEA and NEA are concerned that the proposed Model Policies violate Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”) and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. It is well established that Title IX’s prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sex includes discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.[13] Almost a decade ago, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”),  which is charged with enforcing Title IX, resolved its first case regarding a transgender student’s access to sex-specific facilities at school and sex-specific accommodations during an overnight field trip, with an agreement by the school district to provide the student access to the boys’ facilities and to treat the student the same as other male students in all respects.[14] And in the years following this OCR action, courts have agreed that transgender students are protected by Title IX.[15] In Bostock v. Clayton County, the Supreme Court reasoned that logically, discrimination against someone because they are transgender is necessarily discrimination on the basis of sex. 140 S. Ct. 1731, 1741, 1747 (2020). Following the Bostock decision, in Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board, the Fourth Circuit held that the reasoning of Bostock applies to Title IX. 972 F.3d 586 (4th Cir. 2020) (holding that school board policy denying a transgender student access to bathrooms consistent with his gender identity and refusal to amend his records to reflect his gender violated Title IX and could not survive heightened scrutiny required by the Equal Protection Clause). As the B.P.J. v. W. Virginia State Board of Education court reasoned, citing Grimm to enjoin a state law ban on transgender athletes, a law or policy that discriminates based on transgender status must be based on an “exceedingly persuasive justification.” 550 F. Supp. 3d 347, 354 (S.D.W. Va. 2021) (quoting Mississippi Univ. for Women v. Hogan, 458 U.S. 718, 724 (1982)). It is clear that the proposed Model Policies will require differential treatment of transgender students based solely on their gender identity. Far from providing an “exceedingly persuasive justification” for the proposed Model Policies, the great weight of legal precedent, academic research, and scientific evidence runs counter to these proposed policies and practices. Particularly considering Supreme Court and Fourth Circuit precedent, and the related interpretations of the U.S. Department of Education, it is likely that implementing the proposed Model Policies will subject school districts to costly litigation and risk the loss of federal funding, as a consequence of violating Title IX.

For all these reasons, VEA and NEA strongly condemn the proposed Model Policies and support returning to the 2021 Model Policies. We urge you to reject the cynical and harmful appeal to the politics of division and distraction. Educators who work tirelessly to provide their students with the tools and learning environments they need to reach their fullest potential know that Virginia public school students, families and educators deserve so much better. They deserve evidence-based policies and practices that promote healthy and inclusive school climates for all students. We can and must work together to make our school communities places where every student belongs and has the freedom to be themselves and to achieve their dreams.
 Respectfully submitted,
 /s/ James J. Fedderman
Dr. James J. Fedderman, President
Cathie Lee, Staff AttorneyMoriah Allen, Staff Attorney
Virginia Education Association116 S. 3rd StreetRichmond, VA 23219

/s/ Alice O’Brien
Alice O’Brien, General CounselKeira McNett, Staff Counsel National Education Association 1201 16th Street, N.W.Washington, D.C. 20036

[1] See e.g., Russell, S., Politt, A., Li, G., and Grossman, A., “Chosen Name Use is Linked to Reduced Depressive Symptoms, Suicidal Ideation, and Suicidal Behavior Among Transgender Youth,” Journal of Adolescent Health (Vol, 63, Issue 4, Oct. 2018), https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1054139X18300855

[2] CDC, “Creating Safe Schools for LGBTQ+ Youth: Core competencies for Professional Development,” https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/safe-supportive-environments/pd-lgbtq.htm (citing and linking to resources from the American Psychological Association, GLSEN, the Human Rights Campaign, and others).

[3] Kosciw, J. G., Clark, C. M., Truong, and Menard, L. (2022). “The 2021 National School Climate Survey: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Youth in Our Nation’s Schools.” New York: GLSEN, https://www.glsen.org/sites/default/files/2022-10/NSCS-2021-Full-Report.pdf (finding that students with more supportive school staff were less likely to feel unsafe, less likely to miss school, and felt greater belonging, performed better academically, and reported better psychological well-being, lower levels of depression and lower likelihood of considering suicide); Trevor Project, 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health,  https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2022/assets/static/trevor01_2022survey_final.pdf

[4] https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/safe-supportive-environments/pdf/LGBTQ-School-Policies-Practices.pdf

[5] VEA has called for legislation similar to the Minnesota “Safe and Supportive Schools Act,” which defines bullying, provides training for teachers and programming for students, as well as procedures for reporting and responding to bullying. https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/safe/act/#:~:text=The%20Safe%20and%20Supportive%20Schools,protect%20all%20students%20from%20bullying. In addition, VEA has urged Virginia to join the seven other states that mandate LGBTQ+ inclusion in school curricula and standards, so that all students can better see their identities acknowledged and reflected in what they study.

[6] State AGs’ Amicus Brief in Equality Florida Case 4:22-cv-00134-AW-MJF Document 96-1 Filed 08/03/22, (citing Kann, L. et al. “Sexual Identity, Sex of Sexual Contacts, and Health-Related Behaviors Among Students in Grades 9–12—United States and Selected Sites,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015 18 (2016); Roberts, M. “New CDC Data Shows LGBTQ Youth Are More Likely to Be Bullied Than Straight Cisgender Youth,” Human Rights Campaign (Aug. 26, 2020), https://www.hrc.org/news/new-cdc-data-shows-lgbtq-youth-are-more-likely-to-be-bullied-than-straight-cisgender-youth.

[7] Kosciw, J. G., Clark, C. M., Truong, and Menard, L. (2022). “The 2021 National School Climate Survey: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Youth in Our Nation’s Schools.” New York: GLSEN, https://www.glsen.org/sites/default/files/2022-10/NSCS-2021-Full-Report.pdf

[8] https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2022/assets/static/trevor01_2022survey_final.pdf

[9] Varn, K. “‘No One Felt Safe’: Florida Schools, Students Feel Effects of So-Called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Law,” Tallahassee Democrat (June 30, 2022), https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2022/06/30/florida-schools-feel-impact-dont-say-gay-law/7751681001/. See also, Tebbe, E., Simone, M, Wilson, E., and Hunsicker, M., “A Dangerous Visibility: Moderating Effects of Antitrans Legislative Efforts on Trans and Gender-Diverse Mental Health, Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, American Psychological Assoc. (2022 Vol. 9, Issue 3), https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2021-49910-001.html (“Antitrans legislative efforts significantly shape the effects of antitrans stigma and marginalization on mental health from trans and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals…Findings point to the need for continued advocacy for trans-affirmative policy and protections to address known TGD mental health disparities.”).

[10] Cortez, M., “After a girl beat their daughters in sports, Utah parents triggered investigation into whether she was transgender,” Desert News (Aug. 17, 2022), https://www.deseret.com/utah/2022/8/17/23310668/school-investigates-female-athlete-transgender-complaint

[11] As some scholars and civil rights advocates have observed, this connection between transphobia and white supremacy is not incidental: “Throughout the [white power] movement, gender nonconformity threatens a worldview that is fixated on immutable, straitened, and antiquated gender roles.” Talia Lavin, “Why Tranphobia is at the Heart of the White Power Movement,” The Nation (Aug. 18, 2021), https://www.thenation.com/article/society/transphobia-whitesupremacy/; Southern Poverty Law Center, “White Nationalist Threats Against Transgender People Are Escalating” (June 26, 2019), https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2019/06/26/white-nationalist-threats-against-transgender-people-are-escalating.

[12] Doris A. Santoro, “Teacher Demoralization Isn’t the Same as Teacher Burnout,” Education Week (Nov. 11, 2020), https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-teacher-demoralization-isnt-the-same-as-teacher-burnout/2020/11 (“Demoralization occurs when teachers cannot reap the moral rewards that they previously were able to access in their work. It happens when teachers are consistently thwarted in their ability to enact the values that brought them to the profession.”).

[13] See e.g., U.S. Dep’t of Educ., Office for Civil Rights, Questions and Answers on Title IX and Sexual Violence at 5 (Apr. 29, 2014) (rescinded in 2017) (2014 Q&A on Sexual Violence), www.ed.gov/ocr/docs/ qa-201404-title-ix.pdf; U.S. Dep’t of Justice and U.S. Dep’t of Educ., Office for Civil Rights, Dear Colleague Letter on Title IX and Transgender Students (May 13, 2016) (rescinded in 2017) (2016 Dear Colleague Letter on Title IX and Transgender Students), https:// www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/ letters/colleague-201605-title-ix transgender.pdf

[14] OCR Case No. 09–12–1020, Arcadia Unified Sch. Dist. (July 24, 2013) (resolution letter and agreement) (Arcadia Resolution Letter and Agreement), www.justice.gov/ sites/default/files/crt/legacy/2013/07/ 26/arcadialetter.pdf; www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/crt/legacy/2013/07/ 26/arcadiaagree.pdf

[15] See e.g., Whitaker ex rel. Whitaker v. Kenosha Unified Sch. Dist. No. 1 Bd. of Educ., 858 F.3d 1034 (7th Cir. 2017) (upholding a preliminary injunction allowing a transgender student’s access to the boys’ bathrooms, on the grounds that denying the student’s access punishes that individual for his or her gender non-conformance, which in turn violates Title IX); J.A.W. v. Evansville Vanderburgh Sch. Corp., 323 F. Supp. 3d 1037 (S.D. Ind. 2018) (indicating that there are situations where “Title IX requires a school to permit a transgender student to use the restrooms that coincide with his gender identity”); Adams ex rel. Kasper v. Sch. Bd. of St. Johns Cty., 318 F. Supp. 3d 1325 (M.D. Fla. 2018) (finding a Title IX violation where school board prohibited a transgender boy from using the boys’ restroom); Parents for Privacy v. Dallas School District No. 2., 326 F. Supp. 3d 1106 (D. Ore. 2018) (“[f]orcing transgender students to use facilities inconsistent with their gender identity would undoubtedly harm those students and prevent them from equally accessing educational opportunities and resources”).

<!DOCTYPE html>

October 26, 2022

President Daniel A. Gecker

Board of Education

Virginia Department of Education

P.O. Box 2120

Richmond, VA 23218

Submitted via townhall.virginia.gov

Re:      Opposition to Proposed 2022 Model Policies Requiring Discrimination Against Transgender and Nonbinary Students

Dear President Gecker:

The Virginia Education Association (VEA) and the National Education Association (NEA) jointly submit these comments on the proposed “Model Policies on the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents in Virginia Public Schools” (“proposed Model Policies”). VEA is a union of more than 40,000 teachers and school support professionals that has advocated for the betterment of public education in the Commonwealth since 1863. NEA is the national union with which VEA is affiliated, and represents about 3 million members across the United States.

Educators strive every day to ensure that students have what they need to learn and grow, and they work to build school communities where every student is supported and feels a sense of belonging. Educators are committed to these principles and know them to be the vital work of public schools, regardless of the political winds. VEA and NEA have a strong interest in ensuring that all public schools are safe and inclusive environments where all students, no matter what they look like, where they come from, or how they identify can thrive and prepare for their future. It is for this reason that VEA and NEA strongly oppose the proposed Model Policies.

Just last year, Virginia public schools had the benefit of model policies (“2021 Model Policies”) that were developed and informed by community partners that serve LGBTQ+ youth, the Virginia Department of Education, and over 9,000 public comments. The 2021 Model Policies, which affirmed the rights of transgender and nonbinary students to participate in school programs, access gender-separated school facilities, and be referred to by their correct names and pronouns were based on and aligned with well-documented best practices for fostering positive school climates.[1]

The 2021 Model Policies were also consistent with the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) best practices “for improving safety and connectedness in schools for both LGBTQ+ youth and their cisgender, heterosexual peers.”[2]  For example, the CDC’s core competencies for school districts includes using affirming pronouns. It is well-established that LGBTQ+ youth fare significantly better in schools with inclusive policies and supportive teachers.[3] The positive effects of inclusive policies that recognize the equality and dignity of all students extend not only to LGBTQ+ students, but also to their cisgender, heterosexual peers. As CDC research has found, “[T]he more LGBTQ-supportive policies and practices a school implements, the better the student health outcomes.”[4]  School climates that are safe and inclusive for LGBTQ+ students are good for all students. VEA and NEA urge that Virginia schools follow the evidence and do more, not less, to combat bullying and oppression of LGBTQ+ students.[5]

In contrast to the 2021 Model Policies, and contrary to the great weight of the evidence and established best practices, the proposed Model Policies would require discredited practices that would harm individual students and degrade school climates. The proposed Model Policies would disregard students’ genders and force them to use school facilities and programs matching their “birth sex,” allow and even require harassment and bullying of transgender and nonbinary students by requiring misgendering, and create barriers for students to change their names and pronouns at schools. While other students may simply inform their teacher if they want to be addressed in a particular manner, the proposed Model Policies would require parental “permission slips” for transgender and nonbinary students – and only these students – in order to be treated with the basic dignity and respect of being called by their names and referred to by their pronouns.

These proposed policies appear to have been developed without reference to any social-emotional pedagogy, mental health expertise, or public health foundation, and merely to further a political agenda. Although the proposed Model Policies are wrapped in a veneer of purported “privacy, dignity, and respect” for students and parents, they are in fact the opposite. They are a sadly familiar tactic of some politicians to target particular groups of people in order to divide and distract from the real needs of our students and communities.

As U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Goodwin eloquently articulated, such policies that ostracize a particular group of citizens are not unfamiliar in our democracy:

A fear of the unknown and discomfort with the unfamiliar have motivated many of the most malignant harms committed by our country’s governments on their own citizens. Out of fear of those less like them, the powerful have made laws that restricted who could attend what schools, who could work certain jobs, who could marry whom, and even how people can practice their religions. Recognizing that classifying human beings in ways that officially sanction harm is antithetical to democracy, the states ratified the Fourteenth Amendment. It ensures that no state may “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

B. P. J. v. W. Virginia State Bd. of Educ., 550 F. Supp. 3d 347, 350 (S.D.W. Va. 2021) (granting injunction against state law that barred a transgender student athlete from participating on a sports team consistent with her gender identity, holding that law violated the Equal Protection Clause and Title IX).

The proposed Model Policies pander to fears and lack of familiarity with transgender and nonbinary people to the detriment of some of our most vulnerable students. LGBTQ+ youth report high levels of depression and suicidal ideation. “They are particularly likely to experience feelings of sadness and hopelessness . . . and to be victims of bullying.”[6] An overwhelming majority (83%) of LGBTQ+ youth report being harassed or assaulted during the 2021-2022 academic year, and more than 80 percent of LGBTQ+ students reported feeling unsafe in school.[7]   The Trevor Project’s 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health found that 45 percent of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year.[8] The effects of hateful laws and policies targeting LGBTQ+ people only exacerbate the stress and trauma experienced by many LGBTQ+ students. Educators and students report threats, bullying, and harassment, particularly in states with new laws that sanction or encourage discrimination against LGBTQ+ people.[9]

The proposed Model Policies will also have profound negative impacts on non-LGBTQ+ students. Proposed practices that single out gender nonconforming students for surveillance, invasion of privacy, and harassment threaten equal opportunities for any cisgender girl who is not stereotypically feminine. For example, Utah parents recently called into question a female high school competitor’s gender after she outperformed the field in a statewide competition, and the Utah High School Activities Association has launched an investigation to review the parents’ complaint.[10] Such investigations will often result in traumatic, invasive and unnecessary policing of girls’ bodies. And due to widely held racial and gender stereotypes, such investigations will disproportionately impact Black and brown girls who do not conform to white societal norms.[11]

The proposed Model Policies will not only harm students who already suffer significantly higher rates of discrimination, harassment and bullying, and related poor mental health, but they will also harm educators. These policies are not self-enforcing; they require teachers, school counselors and nurses, and other school staff to carry them out. These policies would compel school staff who care deeply about the well-being of their students to “out” transgender students, regardless of their desire to protect students. It would require staff to harm transgender and nonbinary students by misgendering them, forcing them to use school facilities matching their birth sex, imposing second-class privacy rights, and creating school climates that increase bullying and harassment. This is antithetical to the most fundamental, deeply held values and beliefs of many educators. Treating a particular group of students as less deserving of respect, autonomy and privacy is also at odds with what many educators understand to be core principles of their professional obligation to treat all students with dignity and acceptance for who they are and to foster learning environments based on respect and inclusion.[12]

In addition to harming individual students and educators and degrading school climates, VEA and NEA are concerned that the proposed Model Policies violate Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”) and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. It is well established that Title IX’s prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sex includes discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.[13] Almost a decade ago, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”),  which is charged with enforcing Title IX, resolved its first case regarding a transgender student’s access to sex-specific facilities at school and sex-specific accommodations during an overnight field trip, with an agreement by the school district to provide the student access to the boys’ facilities and to treat the student the same as other male students in all respects.[14] And in the years following this OCR action, courts have agreed that transgender students are protected by Title IX.[15] In Bostock v. Clayton County, the Supreme Court reasoned that logically, discrimination against someone because they are transgender is necessarily discrimination on the basis of sex. 140 S. Ct. 1731, 1741, 1747 (2020). Following the Bostock decision, in Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board, the Fourth Circuit held that the reasoning of Bostock applies to Title IX. 972 F.3d 586 (4th Cir. 2020) (holding that school board policy denying a transgender student access to bathrooms consistent with his gender identity and refusal to amend his records to reflect his gender violated Title IX and could not survive heightened scrutiny required by the Equal Protection Clause). As the B.P.J. v. W. Virginia State Board of Education court reasoned, citing Grimm to enjoin a state law ban on transgender athletes, a law or policy that discriminates based on transgender status must be based on an “exceedingly persuasive justification.” 550 F. Supp. 3d 347, 354 (S.D.W. Va. 2021) (quoting Mississippi Univ. for Women v. Hogan, 458 U.S. 718, 724 (1982)). It is clear that the proposed Model Policies will require differential treatment of transgender students based solely on their gender identity. Far from providing an “exceedingly persuasive justification” for the proposed Model Policies, the great weight of legal precedent, academic research, and scientific evidence runs counter to these proposed policies and practices. Particularly considering Supreme Court and Fourth Circuit precedent, and the related interpretations of the U.S. Department of Education, it is likely that implementing the proposed Model Policies will subject school districts to costly litigation and risk the loss of federal funding, as a consequence of violating Title IX.

For all these reasons, VEA and NEA strongly condemn the proposed Model Policies and support returning to the 2021 Model Policies. We urge you to reject the cynical and harmful appeal to the politics of division and distraction. Educators who work tirelessly to provide their students with the tools and learning environments they need to reach their fullest potential know that Virginia public school students, families and educators deserve so much better. They deserve evidence-based policies and practices that promote healthy and inclusive school climates for all students. We can and must work together to make our school communities places where every student belongs and has the freedom to be themselves and to achieve their dreams.

 Respectfully submitted,

 /s/ James J. Fedderman

Dr. James J. Fedderman, President

Cathie Lee, Staff Attorney
Moriah Allen, Staff Attorney

Virginia Education Association
116 S. 3rd Street
Richmond, VA 23219

/s/ Alice O’Brien

Alice O’Brien, General Counsel
Keira McNett, Staff Counsel
National Education Association
1201 16th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036

[1] See e.g., Russell, S., Politt, A., Li, G., and Grossman, A., “Chosen Name Use is Linked to Reduced Depressive Symptoms, Suicidal Ideation, and Suicidal Behavior Among Transgender Youth,” Journal of Adolescent Health (Vol, 63, Issue 4, Oct. 2018), https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1054139X18300855

[2] CDC, “Creating Safe Schools for LGBTQ+ Youth: Core competencies for Professional Development,” https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/safe-supportive-environments/pd-lgbtq.htm (citing and linking to resources from the American Psychological Association, GLSEN, the Human Rights Campaign, and others).

[3] Kosciw, J. G., Clark, C. M., Truong, and Menard, L. (2022). “The 2021 National School Climate Survey: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Youth in Our Nation’s Schools.” New York: GLSEN, https://www.glsen.org/sites/default/files/2022-10/NSCS-2021-Full-Report.pdf (finding that students with more supportive school staff were less likely to feel unsafe, less likely to miss school, and felt greater belonging, performed better academically, and reported better psychological well-being, lower levels of depression and lower likelihood of considering suicide); Trevor Project, 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health,  https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2022/assets/static/trevor01_2022survey_final.pdf

[4] https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/safe-supportive-environments/pdf/LGBTQ-School-Policies-Practices.pdf

[5] VEA has called for legislation similar to the Minnesota “Safe and Supportive Schools Act,” which defines bullying, provides training for teachers and programming for students, as well as procedures for reporting and responding to bullying. https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/safe/act/#:~:text=The%20Safe%20and%20Supportive%20Schools,protect%20all%20students%20from%20bullying. In addition, VEA has urged Virginia to join the seven other states that mandate LGBTQ+ inclusion in school curricula and standards, so that all students can better see their identities acknowledged and reflected in what they study.

[6] State AGs’ Amicus Brief in Equality Florida Case 4:22-cv-00134-AW-MJF Document 96-1 Filed 08/03/22, (citing Kann, L. et al. “Sexual Identity, Sex of Sexual Contacts, and Health-Related Behaviors Among Students in Grades 9–12—United States and Selected Sites,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015 18 (2016); Roberts, M. “New CDC Data Shows LGBTQ Youth Are More Likely to Be Bullied Than Straight Cisgender Youth,” Human Rights Campaign (Aug. 26, 2020), https://www.hrc.org/news/new-cdc-data-shows-lgbtq-youth-are-more-likely-to-be-bullied-than-straight-cisgender-youth.

[7] Kosciw, J. G., Clark, C. M., Truong, and Menard, L. (2022). “The 2021 National School Climate Survey: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Youth in Our Nation’s Schools.” New York: GLSEN, https://www.glsen.org/sites/default/files/2022-10/NSCS-2021-Full-Report.pdf

[8] https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2022/assets/static/trevor01_2022survey_final.pdf

[9] Varn, K. “‘No One Felt Safe’: Florida Schools, Students Feel Effects of So-Called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Law,” Tallahassee Democrat (June 30, 2022), https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2022/06/30/florida-schools-feel-impact-dont-say-gay-law/7751681001/. See also, Tebbe, E., Simone, M, Wilson, E., and Hunsicker, M., “A Dangerous Visibility: Moderating Effects of Antitrans Legislative Efforts on Trans and Gender-Diverse Mental Health, Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, American Psychological Assoc. (2022 Vol. 9, Issue 3), https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2021-49910-001.html (“Antitrans legislative efforts significantly shape the effects of antitrans stigma and marginalization on mental health from trans and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals…Findings point to the need for continued advocacy for trans-affirmative policy and protections to address known TGD mental health disparities.”).

[10] Cortez, M., “After a girl beat their daughters in sports, Utah parents triggered investigation into whether she was transgender,” Desert News (Aug. 17, 2022), https://www.deseret.com/utah/2022/8/17/23310668/school-investigates-female-athlete-transgender-complaint

[11] As some scholars and civil rights advocates have observed, this connection between transphobia and white supremacy is not incidental: “Throughout the [white power] movement, gender nonconformity threatens a worldview that is fixated on immutable, straitened, and antiquated gender roles.” Talia Lavin, “Why Tranphobia is at the Heart of the White Power Movement,” The Nation (Aug. 18, 2021), https://www.thenation.com/article/society/transphobia-whitesupremacy/; Southern Poverty Law Center, “White Nationalist Threats Against Transgender People Are Escalating” (June 26, 2019), https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2019/06/26/white-nationalist-threats-against-transgender-people-are-escalating.

[12] Doris A. Santoro, “Teacher Demoralization Isn’t the Same as Teacher Burnout,” Education Week (Nov. 11, 2020), https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-teacher-demoralization-isnt-the-same-as-teacher-burnout/2020/11 (“Demoralization occurs when teachers cannot reap the moral rewards that they previously were able to access in their work. It happens when teachers are consistently thwarted in their ability to enact the values that brought them to the profession.”).

[13] See e.g., U.S. Dep’t of Educ., Office for Civil Rights, Questions and Answers on Title IX and Sexual Violence at 5 (Apr. 29, 2014) (rescinded in 2017) (2014 Q&A on Sexual Violence), www.ed.gov/ocr/docs/ qa-201404-title-ix.pdf; U.S. Dep’t of Justice and U.S. Dep’t of Educ., Office for Civil Rights, Dear Colleague Letter on Title IX and Transgender Students (May 13, 2016) (rescinded in 2017) (2016 Dear Colleague Letter on Title IX and Transgender Students), https:// www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/ letters/colleague-201605-title-ix transgender.pdf

[14] OCR Case No. 09–12–1020, Arcadia Unified Sch. Dist. (July 24, 2013) (resolution letter and agreement) (Arcadia Resolution Letter and Agreement), www.justice.gov/ sites/default/files/crt/legacy/2013/07/ 26/arcadialetter.pdf; www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/crt/legacy/2013/07/ 26/arcadiaagree.pdf

[15] See e.g., Whitaker ex rel. Whitaker v. Kenosha Unified Sch. Dist. No. 1 Bd. of Educ., 858 F.3d 1034 (7th Cir. 2017) (upholding a preliminary injunction allowing a transgender student’s access to the boys’ bathrooms, on the grounds that denying the student’s access punishes that individual for his or her gender non-conformance, which in turn violates Title IX); J.A.W. v. Evansville Vanderburgh Sch. Corp., 323 F. Supp. 3d 1037 (S.D. Ind. 2018) (indicating that there are situations where “Title IX requires a school to permit a transgender student to use the restrooms that coincide with his gender identity”); Adams ex rel. Kasper v. Sch. Bd. of St. Johns Cty., 318 F. Supp. 3d 1325 (M.D. Fla. 2018) (finding a Title IX violation where school board prohibited a transgender boy from using the boys’ restroom); Parents for Privacy v. Dallas School District No. 2., 326 F. Supp. 3d 1106 (D. Ore. 2018) (“[f]orcing transgender students to use facilities inconsistent with their gender identity would undoubtedly harm those students and prevent them from equally accessing educational opportunities and resources”).


Opposition: Don't forget the rights of students

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I am a 36-year-old resident of Arlington, Virginia and I am commenting in opposition to the proposed model policies regarding the treatment of transgender students in Virginia public schools. I to moved Virginia 30 years ago and since then have gone back and forth between Fairfax and Arlington. I was educated in Virginia public schools from first grade at Mantua Elementary in Fairfax through my graduation from Washington-Liberty (formerly Washington-Lee) High School in Arlington. This continued after graduation as I earned my associates degree from Northern Virginia Community College in 2010 and my bachelors from George Mason University in 2012.

The 2021 Model Policies were a landmark achievement that sought to protect transgender students and ensure they were able to learn and function in as safe an environment as possible. The proposed updates to these guidelines are a regrettable 180 degree turn and seem to be more from a viewpoint that believes we need to protect our schools from transgender students and the perceived threats they pose rather than protecting the actual students.

One of the specific issues I found troubling in these guidelines was the how the term "transgender student" is defined (Page 5). Making the validity of a student's gender identity hinge on getting written requests/declarations about this from their parents is not just harmful, it's (for lack of a better word) idiotic. To use a somewhat esoteric analogy, if a student says they are a fan of Steely Dan, that sincerely held belief does not change if their parents/guardians disapprove of this. Now transfer that message to the much more intimate and personal issue of a student's identity and sense of self. If a parent "objects" to their child being transgender, this does nothing to change that said student still identifies as transgender. Using this definition, from the perspective of students, allows schools to reinforce the perspective that their very identity and sense of self is invalid and unwanted, which is completely antithetical to the idea of ensuring a safe environment for students to learn in.

But this leads to the larger issue I have with these guidelines. One of the most vital parts of the 2021 Model Policies was the understanding that students who identify as transgender may not have a supportive environment outside of school and that requiring parents to be notified of such issues (outside of imminent self-harm) can actually be detrimental to that student's well-being. Disregarding this section, which is withdrawn from the 2022 Model Policies, puts transgender students (who are already vulnerable on a number of levels in school) in even further potential danger. If a transgender student is seeking to be recognized by a gender identity that is different from their assigned-sex at birth, but has not informed their parents about this, there's a good chance it's because they specifically fear how their parents will react and what actions their parents will take in response to this. Some of theses actions include emotional/physical abuse from parents, being forced to partake in extreme religious practices, being forced to attend pseudo-counseling services that amount to nothing more than reparative (or "conversion") therapy and outright being disowned. All of those actions are fates that transgender students currently face across the globe from unaccepting and non-affirming parents/guardians.

In addition to that, how and when a young person comes out to their family about their sexual orientation or gender identity is an extremely personal decision and is one that usually requires a lot of thought and consideration. It's one of the few things that they can have actual control over. Forcibly outing these students to their parents robs them of that control and that agency. The decision of when to tell their parents/guardians should not be infringed upon by school employees or officials who have no understanding of a student's situation outside of school.

I could go on from here to discuss the statistics about the rates of depression and suicidality among transgender young people, but I'm sure many other commenters have already written such things. Instead, I'd like to close by talking about joy and happiness. For the students who will be most adversely affected by these policies, you are taking away a piece of joy from their lives. As I've stated earlier, if they are keeping their gender identity from their parents/guardians, it's probably because they believe (or know) that their parents will not react positively to this. Being able to be recognized by their identity most likely provides a sense of security and validation that they don't get elsewhere in their lives. Taking that away is terrible and when it's combined with the ridiculous level of work we expect from these students (especially high school students), it just feels cruel.

I implore these standards to be rejected and to please let the standards from the 2021 Model Policies remain in place. I say, with no hyperbole, that the lives of transgender students, both current and future, depend on this. Thank you.


Opposed to changes to Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virginia’s Public

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<p>Please do not update  or enact the proposed changes to Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virginia’s Public Schools). Trans kids are kids period. They must be addressed and allowed to participate in activities as they identify. They are who they say they are, respect them and let them be full members of society, identifying and living how they want. They don’t have a secret agenda. They just want to be who they are and have the same treatment as those who were fortunate enough to have a gender that matches their biology. Life is hard enough don’t make it more difficult. </p>


common sense

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I stand with Governor Youngkin!


TRANS RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS

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let trans people exist in peace.


Pro-parent policies

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I support pro-parent policies.


I support Parental Rights

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The new policies honor the sacred role of parents in the care of their children during school, athletics and other activities.


Strongly Oppose

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<p>This bill has the power to harm lgbtq+ folks throughout the state. School is supposed to be a safe, supportive environment, and this should include trans and nonbinary adolescents. </p>


Virginia Parent Opposes

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<p>Strongly oppose - this policy will hurt children and our community. My child will be enrolling in Virginia public schools in 2 years and I do not want him to encounter this type of discriminatory environment. </p>


Concerned Parent

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I do not want the school system to be confusing my children and making decisions that I as parent have to make.

I Fully support the New Policy.


Right to Comfort vs Right to SURVIVE!

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It’s that simple. Weigh the short and longterm effects

and do the math to find out which has the highest death toll.


Parental issue

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<p>If your own children cannot come to you as a parent to discuss the big issues, that’s your fault. That’s your fail as a parent. </p>


Yes! I support model policy

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Yes, yes, I strongly support the new policy.


Support Governor's Parental Rights

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• The new policies honor the sacred role of parents in the care of their children during school, athletics and other activities.

 • Parents know their children’s needs better than anyone. If children are struggling with gender dysphoria, they need guidance and emotional support from parents. Under the new policies, school officials must keep parents fully informed, and require schools to enforce laws, regulations and policies that prohibit and deter bullying or harassment.

 • Student participation in sex-specific athletics, school activities and events should be determined by sex, e.g., for overnight travel accommodations and locker rooms.

 • Students should use the bathrooms that correspond to their sex. Single-user bathrooms and facilities should be made available in accessible areas and provided with appropriate signage, indicating accessibility for all students.

 • The new policies protect the fundamental religious liberty interests of personnel and students.


I agree with governor youngkins new transgender policy.

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I feel that the governors new policy reflects common sense.


Leave children alone.

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<p>This policy perpetuates the idea that non-binary individuals are not safe. If this policy goes into effect, they WILL NOT BE SAFE. Please, please keep these religious ideologies out of our schools, and let kids be themselves, wholly and unabashedly. </p>


OPPOSED to this mean and unnecessary "guidance"

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These are some of our most vulnerable kids.  They are already subject to misunderstanding (as evidenced by some of these comments) and abuse.  They need support from their schools and their families.  In an ideal world, all parents would be supportive of their children but we all know that this is not always the case.  The "model policy" undermines a school's ability to help this tiny minority of children to feel safe and accepted and thus be able to learn.  If the governor truly wants to act in the best interest of children, he could let all people know that these children are much more likely to be bullied and abused than they are to pose any threat to other children.  He could also help allocate more resources for mental health to our schools and communities.


limited resources

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If the students in a given school do not have a collective GPA of at least 3.0 in math, English, and science, that school should not be wasting time on trendy gender programming.  Also, many things done in secret are evil.  Keep parents or guardians in the loop.


Support governor's parental rights

• The new policies honor the sacred role of parents in the care of their children during school, athletics and other activities.• Parents know their children’s needs better than anyone. If children are struggling with gender dysphoria, they need guidance and emotional support from parents. Under the new policies, school officials must keep parents fully informed, and require schools to enforce laws, regulations and policies that prohibit and deter bullying or harassment.• Student participation in sex-specific athletics, school activities and events should be determined by sex, e.g., for overnight travel accommodations and locker rooms.• Students should use the bathrooms that correspond to their sex. Single-user bathrooms and facilities should be made available in accessible areas and provided with appropriate signage, indicating accessibility for all students.• The new policies protect the fundamental religious liberty interests of personnel and students.

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• The new policies honor the sacred role of parents in the care of their children during school, athletics and other activities.
• Parents know their children’s needs better than anyone. If children are struggling with gender dysphoria, they need guidance and emotional support from parents. Under the new policies, school officials must keep parents fully informed, and require schools to enforce laws, regulations and policies that prohibit and deter bullying or harassment.
• Student participation in sex-specific athletics, school activities and events should be determined by sex, e.g., for overnight travel accommodations and locker rooms.
• Students should use the bathrooms that correspond to their sex. Single-user bathrooms and facilities should be made available in accessible areas and provided with appropriate signage, indicating accessibility for all students.
• The new policies protect the fundamental religious liberty interests of personnel and students.


Strongly support

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Common sense to 100% support


Please focus on impactful policy rather than the genitals of children.

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<p>I oppose the Virginia Governor’s anti-trans proposals for public schools. Please do not discuss the genitals of children that are not your own. Government is no place for perverts like this. </p>


Parent control

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Support parental control


Opposing the mistreatment of trans kids

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I strongly oppose the limitations placed on our trans students. We need to work to treat our students with acceptance, not hatred and bigotry.


Youngkin/School board SUED OVER SUICIDE due to inaccurate gender identity reporting

This headline is entirely possible, and in fact statistically probable.  Even if accurately reported, the fact that proposed practices go directly against the advice of nationally and internationally renowned pediatric/scientific bodies leaves little legal footing.  The proposed policy lacks the fundamental understanding, long-term planning, education and medical/scientific support to avoid devastating physical and psychological consequences for the individual, the family, the school and the community.
With NO Plan to determine the accuracy and good-faith of reports (rumors, mishearing/understandings, teenage angst “revenge reporting”, etc) prior to parental communication, the school is at the mercy of the adolescent “rumor mill”.  Are we saying that identifying as Trans is equivalent to being “a danger to oneself or others”?  If not, it does not fall within the mandatory reporting guidelines.
Self-exploration has been a teenager’s job and right of passage since the dawn of time. Providing support requires (1) education, (2) unbiased receptive listening, and (3) the knowledge that the assumed “support systems” are in fact safe supportive and educated on the matter, which is not always -and for trans kids often not the case.  Forced reporting/outing will/has historically resulted in increased secrecy and mistrust of faculty and otherwise trusted adults, leading to increased needs for but fear of asking for mental health outreach and as a result, self harm and suicide attempts/completions.  It’s not being trans that makes a person depressed, it’s trying to survive in unaccepting environments that leads to psychological distress.  Children know their family’s religious and political beliefs; if they felt safe coming out at home, they would have.
The increased-marginalization plan has never worked at bringing stability and communities together. Only raised awareness, education and dialogue have been proven successful.
I hope to never see the Subject line as a newspaper headline.  Please stop using our children as political pawns.
With hope,Avi

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This headline is entirely possible, and in fact statistically probable.

Even if accurately reported, the fact that proposed practices go directly against the advice of nationally and internationally renowned pediatric/scientific bodies leaves little legal footing.  The proposed policy lacks the fundamental understanding, long-term planning, education and medical/scientific support to avoid devastating physical and psychological consequences for the individual, the family, the school and the community.

With NO Plan to determine the accuracy and good-faith of reports (rumors, mishearing/understandings, teenage angst “revenge reporting”, etc) prior to parental communication, the school is at the mercy of the adolescent “rumor mill”.  Are we saying that identifying as Trans is equivalent to being “a danger to oneself or others”?  If not, it does not fall within the mandatory reporting guidelines.

Self-exploration has been a teenager’s job and right of passage since the dawn of time. Providing support requires (1) education, (2) unbiased receptive listening, and (3) the knowledge that the assumed “support systems” are in fact safe supportive and educated on the matter, which is not always -and for trans kids often not the case.  Forced reporting/outing will/has historically resulted in increased secrecy and mistrust of faculty and otherwise trusted adults, leading to increased needs for but fear of asking for mental health outreach and as a result, self harm and suicide attempts/completions.  It’s not being trans that makes a person depressed, it’s trying to survive in unaccepting environments that leads to psychological distress.  Children know their family’s religious and political beliefs; if they felt safe coming out at home, they would have.

The increased-marginalization plan has never worked at bringing stability and communities together. Only raised awareness, education and dialogue have been proven successful.

I hope to never see the Subject line as a newspaper headline.  Please stop using our children as political pawns.

With hope,
Avi


Strongly Support

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<p>This is just common sense.  Parents MUST be involved in the decisions for their children.  If parents are not involved, it increases the chances that they will be abused through the school system or other state institution.  Time and time again, we have seen in all abuse cases the most important thing an abuser does is to keep the parents away.  This new regulation requires that parents be notified and can be their child's advocate.  </p>


transgender

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I stand with  Governor Youngkin!


Strongly oppose- trans rights are human rights


STRONGLY OPPOSE

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<p>The proposed changes will further endanger trans and non-binary youth, who are already under tremendous amounts of stress and scrutiny in schools. Forcing educators (who already have SO MUCH on their plates these days) to out students is not only unnecessary but absolutely CRUEL for both staff and children you purport to care about. Erasing queer youth doesn’t make them go away, but instead puts even higher stress on children who statistically are at much higher risk for self harm and suicide, and if you supposedly care about children at these schools, I don’t know why you’d even consider making these proposed changes policy. </p>


Reading, writing, arithmetic

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This is a parents' rights issue.  Teachers should not have to deal with these issues.  They are teachers not psychologists, doctors, psychiatrists, etc., those trained officials should deal with transgender issues.  They should focus on reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Our teachers should be freed up and supported to educate our kids!  Not government propaganda and cultural indoctrination implementation instruments.


Opposed

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I oppose the 2022 model policies.


Some of these policies are illegal

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Virginia Supreme Court has already determined transgender students have a right to the bathroom that matches their identity regardless of whether a parent approves or contacts the school.

Educators and Administrators are required by law to protect students from physical, emotional abuse. Students who inform the school about abuse or the potential for abuse are required to act in the child’s best interest. As a result, transgender students that fear for their safety at home can not communicate their identity status to the home. Schools are not actually transitioning children thus their actions in communicating and providing support is not illegal and not providing such services would go against the statutes already highlighted here. Students who say they fear for their safety should not be outted to their parents.

Furthermore, bathrooms are no different than locker rooms thus trying to redefine the space is not within good faith of the Virginia Supreme Court decision.
there is no reason to allow for one and not the other.

as for sports transgender students are again equally protected as females under the law of title IV  to prevent a transgender student from participating in the program that matches their identity; the school is endangering that students both physically and mentally. To place a transgender girl on a boy’s sports team endangers their safety during the action of the sport and opens the transgender students for outting which further endangers their safety. Additionally, there is no scientific proof that transgender female middle and high school students have any physical advantages over other girls.  Without such proof, this portion of the statue is illegal and defies title IV.

Finally, a teacher has no more rights than a student in school. A teacher does not have the right to violate a student’s privacy and/  or religious beliefs of  transgender identity. This recognition of the right to religious freedom by being without religion has been upheld in the Federal Supreme Court numerous times. Tthe Supreme Court decisions that not having a religion is in itself a religion and a protected religious right. This one believing that transgender identify does not go against their religion is protected.
In addition  the student must be protected under title IV. Put together the school is required to put the student’s best interest and rights ahead of a teacher who can simply change jobs if they disagree with a policy  students do not have that freedom  teacher may not put students and disregard their identity for any reason

The totality of this policy is moot and inconsistent with current laws and statutes. This policy can not and should not be implemented.


Oppose - Support safe environment

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<p>If parents concerned about dictating their child's education and environment, than they should be homeschooling their children. A child is not property, they are autonomous human beings. A parent should only have executive involvement when a child is in danger. Many times with transgender children, home IS the dangerous place. All children deserve safety regardless of their parents belief systems. </p>