Youngkin administration overhauls policy for Virginia transgender students

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.”

The document replaces a previous model published by the department under Gov. Ralph Northam. Northam was succeeded by Republican Glenn Youngkin in January after eight consecutive years of Democratic Party control of the Virginia governor’s mansion.

The release comes weeks after the Washington Examiner first reported that Fairfax County Public Schools had required teachers to complete a training module that provided direction on the degree to which students could adopt a different gender identity at school without parental awareness. Teachers and staff were told that the district could even change the child’s name on documents without parental notification or consent.

The training caught the attention of Youngkin, who blasted the school district at a rally with Republican congressional candidates last month. The governor’s victorious election campaign in 2021 focused heavily on education issues and parental rights…. (Excerpt from Washington Examiner)