There are going to be transgender students in any school. It’s bound to happen – whether that is the natural choice of the child, a push from a parent, or even liberal indoctrination.
Whatever the reason, there has to be policies in place to determine if and how parents get notified, how students are treated, and what measures are in place to protect other children.
It seems that Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia will be taking one of the first steps to establish student policies for transgenders in the schools. His administration is already hard at work rewriting some of the model policies so that there can be guidance to the various school divisions.
Some of the policies are simple and straightforward.
Students participating in various school programming is based on biological sex. The same is said of using school facilities, such as locker rooms and bathrooms.
Modifications of such things will only be allowed to what is required under federal law.
As far as the use of pronouns, this will make liberals squirm. Minors will be referred to be the name and pronouns within their official records. The only time exceptions will be made is if a parent approves the use of another name or pronoun.
As for parental notification, schools are not to encourage teachers to conceal any information about a student’s gender from his or her parents. If there are concerns, they should be addressed appropriately. And if there are counseling services offered that pertain to gender, parents have to be given an opportunity to object such services.
All of this new guidance regarding transgender student policies are subject to a public comment period that will span 30 days – opening later this month. Then, based on a 2020 state law, the school boards would be required to adopt these new policies.
Macaulay Porter is a spokesperson for Youngkin and explained that the update on the policy “delivers on the governor’s commitment to preserving parental rights and upholding the dignity and respect of all public school students.”
Too many states and school districts across the country don’t have sufficient policies in place regarding how transgender students are to be addressed. It’s what gives liberals the power to indoctrinate the youth with counseling services and to conceal newly chosen pronouns from a student’s parents.
The reality is that parents need to know what is going on with their children. The children are under the age of 18 and sit on a parent’s insurance. Too many suicides happen because of insufficient support – and if parents don’t know about a child’s decision to adopt new pronouns, it’s hard to provide the necessary support.
Meanwhile, other students who continue to embrace the gender that matches their biological sex need to be protected against predators. It would be nice to live in a bubble and believe that 16 and 17-year-olds cannot be predators, but horror stories in the news have burst that bubble for most of us.
The revisions that Youngkin has made are in sharp contrast to those created during Democratic Governor Ralph Northam’s time in office. Those guidelines allowed students to choose names and pronouns at will – and without informing parents of these changes.
The president of The Family Foundation, Victoria Cobb, is celebrating the changes. “We are thrilled to see Governor Youngkin leading our schools toward respecting the privacy and dignity of all students and the preeminent role of parents in the lives of their children.”
It’s likely that many other conservative governors will follow suit. And the liberal governors who fail to follow will end up dealing with angry parents who still want to have a role in how their children are raised. It could be what speeds up the red wave that’s crashing across the country.
