Virginia Beach Schools Adopt Discriminatory Trans Policies

This blog originally appeared at Advocate.

The Virginia Beach School Board has updated its transgender model policies to align with the guidelines promoted by Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration. This decision occurs amid the ongoing debate over policies related to transgender students’ rights in Virginia school districts and the actions of the Republican administration against them.

By a majority vote of 9-1, the board approved the amendments on Tuesday, introducing new regulations concerning changes to students’ official records, naming conventions for school staff, and the use of facilities based on the sex indicated in official documents, as reported by WAVY, the NBC affiliate in the Hampton Roads area. One member voted against the changes, and another abstained from voting.

The revised policies now mandate that any amendment to a student’s official record concerning their legal name or sex requires a legal document such as a birth certificate or a court order. School personnel are instructed to refer to each student using only the name that appears in the official record, a designated nickname, or a name commonly associated with the name appearing in the official register.

Additionally, the policies dictate that students are to use restrooms, locker rooms, and changing facilities corresponding to the sex designated in their official records, except when state or federal laws mandate otherwise.

This decision represents a departure from the positions of several other school districts in Virginia. Earlier this year, numerous communities rejected Governor Youngkin’s model policies, citing concerns that they discriminated against transgender students.

As reported by The Advocate earlier, Francisco Durán, the superintendent of Arlington Public Schools, stated that his district’s current policies were already aligned with Virginia law. He expressed the view that the adoption of Governor Youngkin’s new guidelines was unnecessary, as he believed they did not serve all students in the community.

Several school districts across the state have similarly rejected these policies, which the governor has called for compliance with. However, there appears to be no established enforcement mechanism for implementing what critics describe as Governor Youngkin’s discriminatory policies.

The decision by the Virginia Beach School Board comes after a series of heated meetings spanning three months since the Virginia Department of Education introduced the governor’s model policies. These meetings featured passionate statements from both supporters of the governor’s model policies and LGBTQ+ students who opposed them.

The ongoing discussions in Virginia Beach are reflective of a larger statewide and national dialogue regarding transgender rights and parental involvement in education. As school districts throughout the state grapple with these complex issues, the actions of the Virginia Beach School Board may serve as a potential example for other districts in Virginia.