Several Virginia School Districts Simply Said No to Implementing Anti-LGBTQ+ Policies

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin wants schools to out transgender students to their families, but some school districts are taking a page from their D.A.R.E. playbooks and just saying no.

Youngkin’s Department of Education issued new model policies last month that make minor adjustments to his (already draconian) updates from last year. The new policy agenda attempts to compel school districts to reject trans students’ gender expression and out them to their parents or guardians. Under the model policies, which Youngkin says he expects districts to follow, school officials are required to use students’ sex assigned at birth to determine which bathrooms, locker rooms, and athletic teams those students can join. They’re likewise mandated to use only the names and pronouns that are “appropriate to the sex appearing in the student’s official record.”Youngkin has alleged that previous model policies under former Gov. Ralph Northam, like those requiring respect for trans students’ pronouns, violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments.

But at least four school districts have drawn a line in the sand and are refusing to update their policies in accordance with Youngkin’s DOE, saying their existing rules already comply with state and federal antidiscrimination laws and won’t be changed to fit Youngkin’s whim. On August 15, Fairfax County Public Schools announced they will not adhere to the governor’s model policies, followed two days later by Prince William County Public Schools. Last month, officials for the Arlington and Alexandria City school districts also expressed opposition to the model policies, affirming that their previous rules on inclusion and discrimination would remain in place.

“The purpose of school division policies addressing nondiscrimination is to ensure that all PWCS students and families have access to our educational programs and facilities so they can learn, graduate, and have successful futures,” wrote Prince William officials in a statement Thursday, stating that their policies are already “consistent with federal and state anti-discrimination laws” and would not be changed. Other officials wrote under their own letterhead to condemn Youngkin’s changes, pledging to support trans youth going forward.

“I oppose any policy that infringes upon the rights of our students and threatens the safety and well-being of our LGBTQIA+ students,” wrote Arlington Superintendent Dr. Francisco Durán in July. Fairfax Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid echoed the sentiment this week, writing to parents that her district “remains committed to fostering a safe, supportive, welcoming, and inclusive school environment for all students and staff,” and that staff would still respect trans students’ names, pronouns, and identities going forward.