As required by House bill 145 and Senate bill 161 (identical to HB 145), adopted in February 2020, the Virginia Department of Education is developing “Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virginia’s Public Schools. A draft has been published at Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virgiinia Public Schools (virginia.gov) on which the public is invited to comment between now and 11:59 pm. on February 3 (CLICK ON => Guidance Document Public Comment Forum (virginia.gov)). After a final model is adopted by the Dept. of Education, every local school board will have to adopt a policy that is at a minimum consistent, although it can be more protective.
The policies promoted include:
- Warning that failure to use a transgender student’s preferred pronoun could subject teachers or students to disciplinary action.
- That schools should help students make decisions about “gender identity” without parents being informed.
- Students should be allowed to use the same changing facilities or overnight accommodations as those of a different biological sex based on “gender identity.” To do so does not require any substantiating evidence or that such identity has been asserted for any required duration.
- School staff is warned not to question anyone entering a restroom.
- School staff may need to report parents for “abuse” if they are being non-supportive of a child’s assertion of gender identity different than their sex at birth.
We encourage you to watch a portion of a workshop (video below) conducted by Virginia Equality and Side-by-Side. The degree of support the initiative has from the wife of Virginia Governor Northam Virginia Governor Ralph Northam – Governor Ralph Northam) should alert you that this policy will become enforceable state school policy if we do not make our opposition felt. The remarks of Virginia’s First Lady Pamela Northam appear from 5:00 until 11:40, and again at 49:54 in closing. On the video, staff of the two advocacy groups coach their supporters on how to make an emotionally persuasive pitch for these policies.
Every Democratic delegate and senator representing Prince William county voted for these bills. If the Dept. of Education is going beyond what they thought they were voting for in the bills, now is the time for them to speak up and repeal those bills.
Prince William-Manassas Family Alliance 
Doris, Tom
When a school withholds information of a juvenile in their care from a parent, regardless of issue, it is on the same level as a pedophile activity in my opinion.
My experience in a private religious school is parents are always informed of their child’s behaviors in school regardless of any issue or school rules.
Just another reason for parents to demand school choice or school vouchers be approved by their legislators now that the Supreme Court has ruled that the States Blaine Amendment are unconstitutional.
Sad.
Regards and goodwill blogging.
@Scatterwisdom
That is a thoughtful comment. Thank you!
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Thank you!
I do NOT agree with taking away the authority of a parent. Schools should not be assisting children with gender identification without parental consent. Parents are ultimately responsible for their children, not schools. Any bill that takes this authority away from a parent is absurd. This decision should never be made lightly and minors need to do this with the approval of their parents.
@Frances Karpun-Stanton
Make certain you comment on the proposed policy and let your legislators know how you feel.
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If this happens I will pull my girls from school and I’m not the only one.
@Erin
Spread the word.
I DO NOT agree. This absolutely crazy
and it blows my mind. When schools withhold information about children from parents it’s a problem. You should only be able to go to the bathroom that pertains to the sex that you were born with.
Spread the word. We need to treat each other as individuals and scrap the identity politics.
Transgenders are less than 1 percent of our population. Prince County is obviously trying to seek a cause, & act politically correct. Instead, they should be focusing on better education & safety for their students & get back to work!
I would think that they would use their resources to also have programs to address Fatherless families, & the causes.
If they won’t return to teach our children, everyone should request their tax dollars be returned, so they can hire teachers that will work, & finally do their REAL job! This is utterly disgusting & another distraction.
@Sylvia Beck
Mystifying how we elect people who get so sidetracked, but I think this is a good example of why we need limited government. When we are just in charge of our lives and our own families, we tend to do less harm.