Virginia asserts parental rights in school transgender policies – By Jazz Shaw (Hot Air) / Sept 17, 2022
The state Department of Education in Virginia has issued new guidelines for schools, providing instructions on how teachers and administrators are to deal with the growing epidemic of students announcing that they are “identifying” as transgender, non-binary, “gender fluid,” or whatever other terms are making the rounds these days. They aren’t barring the schools from “recognizing” such announcements, but teachers are only to refer to students by new names or incorrect pronouns if the parents or guardians of the student provide written instructions requesting that their child be addressed in that fashion. This has far less to do with gender confusion or dysphoria than it does with basic parental rights. Schools will not be allowed to deceive parents and keep secrets from them when this sort of situation arises with their children. Of course, for reasons that nobody seems to be able to explain, some people are seeing this as a bad idea.
The Virginia Department of Education released new policies Friday detailing how school districts should handle students who identify as transgender with a heavy emphasis on parental rights.
The new policies direct schools to only recognize “transgender students” if the child’s parent has requested in writing that the school address their child by a different gender identity.
“Parents have the right to make decisions with respect to their children,” the guidance states. “Policies shall be drafted to safeguard parents’ rights with respect to their child, and to facilitate the exercise of those rights.”
