Equality Arlington Condemns Virginia Department of Education’s Anti-LGBTQ+ Model Policies

The Virginia Department of Education’s “Model Policies On Ensuring Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for all Students and Parents in Virginia’s Public Schools'' released this week are an illegal and dangerous attack on LGBTQ+ students. The adoption of these model policies by local school boards will make students less safe, less supported, and continue the Youngkin Administration’s attempts to make our schools and our commonwealth a hostile environment for LGBTQ+ residents.

These model policies would force school employees to “out” students to their families, potentially creating unsafe environments for LGBTQ+ students and making it harder for students to be their true selves at school. The policies would also allow school employees to bully students by refusing to use their correct pronouns or names. The policies also place additional burdens on parents and transgender students who want their school to recognize their correct name and gender. While Governor Youngkin may have promised to ensure parents have a say in their children’s education, he is taking this right away from the thousands of parents of LGBTQ+ students who have vocally opposed the adoption of this model policy and who submitted thousands of public comments in opposition.

These model policies are in direct violation of the state code which required the Department of Education to release model policies to ensure that transgender students feel safe and supported in Virginia public schools. The model policies do not reflect and directly contradict evidence-based best practices in violation of Virginia law. The Youngkin Administration has chosen to politicize the mental health and safety of LGBTQ+ students to enact these dangerous and harmful model policies and this is unacceptable.

Equality Arlington appreciates the statements of Arlington Public Schools (APS) in opposition to the model policies and we urge APS to stand strong in the face of these attacks against LGBTQ+ students directed by the Virginia Department of Education. Equality Arlington will continue to work with LGBTQ+ residents and allies to fight to make our community a place where LGBTQ+ students can live and thrive in safety.

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