Virginia school board approves rights extension for transgender, gender-expansive students
A Virginia school board voted Wednesday to expand the rights of transgender students, including access and inclusion in school facilities and groups.
The Loudoun County School Board voted 7-2 on a policy that allows transgender student-athletes to play on teams that align on their gender identity and to use bathrooms and locker rooms based on their gender identity. It also requires teachers and staff to call students by their chosen names and pronouns, reported The Washington Post.
The district is 35 miles away from Washington D.C. and was following Virginia law in reviewing anti-harassment guidelines.
"When transgender students are able to use the names and pronouns and access the school facilities that align with their gender identity, they're able to stop worrying about harassment and focus on doing their best in school, which helps them achieve more positive academic outcomes," said GLSEN Interim Executive Director Melanie Willingham-Jaggers.
Tuesday, nearly 200 people attended the parking lot rallies at the school board meeting, causing public comment to go over four hours. The meeting length prompted the school board to postpone its decision until Wednesday, the school board said in a news release. Wednesday’s meeting was sparsely attended.
"LCPS’ number one priority is to foster the success of all students and ensure they feel safe, secure, accepted and ready to learn at school," the school board said in a news release. "The school division will continue to do its due diligence in creating that environment and remaining open and transparent with all LCPS partners, community members and stakeholders."
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The district has been mired in controversy in recent months.
In September, it issued a formal apology for being one of the last school systems in the nation to desegregate its schools, following a year of controversy and a probe by the state's attorney general into allegations of racism.
Hundreds of people also attended a meeting in June when the board considered the transgender inclusivity policy publicly for the first time. The board’s chair cut short public comment when parents refused to quiet down. Law enforcement ultimately arrested one man and issued a trespassing summons for another when they refused to leave. During that meeting, a debate over the use of critical race theory dissolved into a fight.
Loudoun County School District "is not the first community to create inclusive guidelines that require faculty to respect transgender students' names and pronouns," Willingham-Jaggers said, "but there are still far too few schools with these kinds of policies in place."
Contributing: Associated Press
