The Family Foundation

PARENTAL RIGHTS USURPED BY SCHOOL “TRANSGENDER GUIDELINES”

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) released a draft of Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools, which would, among other things, eliminate all distinctions between male and female. Specifically, if passed in its current form, these policies would allow any student, while at school, to act as a member of the opposite sex – including name change, pronouns, and the use of opposite sex bathrooms and locker rooms – without the knowledge of and permission of the student’s parents. Additionally, under these guidelines, schools will also be permitted to help a student explore, facilitate, and make decisions about his or her sexual identity while at school without the permission of the child’s parents.

Additional policies proposed by the VDOE include:

1.      Failure to use a student’s new “preferred pronouns” – which can change from day to day and even defy basic rules of grammar (“ze/hir/hirs”, “they/them/their”) – would be “harassment” and “discrimination”, for which both faculty and students would be subject to disciplinary action.

2.      The definition of “Gender identity” is completely subjective to each person claiming it, hence it cannot possibly be known by anyone except that person. Since it cannot be tested or ascertained by any objective method, nothing could prevent students from constantly “changing” their “gender identity” to exploit many situations.

3.      Parents who encourage their children to embrace their God-given sex would be at risk of being reported for child abuse or neglect by the school.

4.      Schools would be prohibited from notifying parents if a biological male is using the same changing facility as their daughter that was designated for girls.

5.      All students will be allowed to use any bathroom or locker room they choose, without being questioned by any school administrator or faculty, eliminating privacy and safety of students in states of undress.

6.      Parents will not be notified that their child is being interrogated by school officials for allegedly violating these policies, nor will parents have the opportunity to intervene on their child’s behalf UNLESS the complaints are not resolved “at the school level.”

**Please note: All of the above proposed policies are permitted without the permission of the children’s parents.