FairfaxCo. School Board moves to add Transgendered to Policy
Your Action is Needed!
TheFairfax County School Board is poised to make a policy change that will affectall students, parents, and school employees. And it is being done for noapparent reason. The School Board recently discussed (Agenda Item 4: listento audio here) adding two words, “gender identity,” to thenon-discrimination policy. Many board members voiced support for the change. Nomention was made about disruption to the educational climate or parentalvalues, nor any consideration that the change could open bathroom and lockerrooms for use by the opposite sex if they claim to be transgendered.
Thevote is scheduled for May 7. If passed, the addition would likely give specialprivileges to children who want to come to school dressed as the opposite sex. Thissame controversy has embroiled two other Virginia counties.
InStafford County, a 9 year-old boy dresses like a girl to go to school, evenwearing high heels to class. (4th grade girls do not even wear highheels to class.) He was permitted to use a private staff bathroom. However, hisparents then requested that he be able to use the girl’s restroom. Theschool’s legal advisor recommended that the child be permitted to use thelavatory and locker rooms of the gender he identified with. Any littlegirls who were uncomfortable with this plan were told to use these facilitiesafter the boy or use a gender-neutral restroom.
Parentswere outraged and they spoke up. The Stafford School Board quickly moved torequire children to use bathrooms according to their biological gender. The boyis once again using the private staff bathroom.
(http://www.staffordcountysun.com/education/article_098b1d46-d303-11e4-a1c9-bf5189bad658.html)
Anothersituation in Gloucester County Public Schools involves a sophomore girl whouses the boy’s facilities. The school board established a policy of usingbathrooms according to the biological gender and now the ACLU has filed acomplaint with the U.S. Dept. of Justice on her behalf. (http://www.gazettejournal.net/index.php/news/news_article/aclu_proceeds_with_complaint_against_gloucester_schools)
Fairfaxparents and taxpayers must also speak up before this policy change is approvedand Fairfax County opens the door to the same quandary. You can email all Fairfax County School Boardmembers at:
fairfaxcountyschoolboard@fcps.edu.
All children need a schoolenvironment that is safe and comfortable. Clearly, schools mustprotect vulnerable students from bullying and harassing behavior. Staff must identifysuch behavior and address problems as they arise. Students can also play a rolein notifying adults of problem behavior. Children can be taught to be kind and compassionatetoward one another. Indeed, providing alternate facilities for a childstruggling with sexual identity issues is an appropriate response.
The current FCPS NondiscriminationPolicy already prohibits discrimination based on sex, thus it already protects transgenderedyouth from harassment. The School Board does not need to add more categories toan already sound policy. They certainly do not need to allow students who arebiologically male to use female facilities, or vice versa, under the guise ofpreventing bullying. This is a violation ofstudent and staff privacy and could be a safety concern.
Additionally, FairfaxCounty also has a very sound dress code policy. In part it says, “Anyclothing that interferes with or disrupts the educational environment isunacceptable…”
Let’s keep the focus on education in a safe, andorderly environment.
TheStafford and Gloucester County School Boards did the right thing to state thatstudents must use the restrooms according to their biological gender and toprovide an accommodation for the affected student.
FairfaxCounty parents, grandparents and taxpayers can stop this scenario fromhappening here by voicing their concerns to the School Board.
The School Board willvote on May 7 to add “gender identity” to the FCPS Nondiscrimination Policy1450.
YOUR URGENT ACTION ISNEEDED:
1. Share this information with others and implore them to speak up.
2. EMAIL all Fairfax County School Board Members at:
fairfaxcountyschoolboard@fcps.edu.
3. Attend the two School Board meetings where this will be discussed, April23 and May 7 at Luther Jackson MS, 3020 Gallows Rd., FallsChurch 7PM
4. To speak before theBoard on this topic sign up online at the link below.
http://www.fcps.edu/schlbd/meetings/requestspeak-online-rm.shtmlSign up begins at 6am on April 20th for the April 23 meeting or May4 for the May 7th meeting.
Background Information
AttorneyGeneral Mark Herring produced an Opinion on March 4, 2015, saying that VASchool Boards have the authority to add sexual orientation and gender identityto their nondiscrimination policies. Herring’s recent opinion contradicted a2002 AG Opinion, which said school boards need General Assembly approval forthe change.
(http://ag.virginia.gov/files/14-080_Ebbin.pdf