Fairfax County Public Schools, the largest district in the state of Virginia, released a statement announcing its refusal to abide by state guidelines regarding sex-segregated facilities and pronoun usage for students and faculty.
The new policies, put in place by Governor Glenn Youngkin in 2022, requires students to use the restroom and locker room facility that aligns with their biological sex, and furthermore, requires students to participate on sporting teams that align with their sex, rather than their preferred gender. The policy also requires school staff to receive parental permission before allowing a student to use a different name or pronoun while at school.
In a statement, the district announced, “We have concluded our detailed legal review and determined that our current Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) policies are consistent with federal and state anti-discrimination laws as required by the new model policies.” The District Superintendent Michelle Reid, stated, “Let me be clear that FCPS remains committed to fostering a safe, supportive, welcoming, and inclusive school environment for all students and staff, including our transgender and gender-expansive students and staff.”
The district, disregarding the state policy, committed to using the preferred name and pronouns for students at all times — presumably, with or without parental permission.
The announcement clarified that it will continue to abide by district policy, which asserts that when a student reveals that they identify as transgender, the staff will offer to “convene a support team.” This team may include the student, and his or her parents “if the student is willing” as well as “classroom teacher(s), administrator, school counselor, school psychologist, school social worker, and/or other staff members as appropriate for this collaboration.”
Additionally, the district stated that it plans to allow students to use the facility which best aligns with their gender identity, rather than their biological sex.
Virginia opted to change its Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in public schools after a state review found that the guidelines from 2021 “disregarded the rights of parents and ignored other legal and constitutional principles that significantly impact how schools educate students, including transgender students,” according to Fox News.
Every school board in Virginia is required to adopt the revised policies, therefore it is unclear how the state will respond to Fairfax County School District’s refusal to abide by the new guidelines.
