Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Virginia school boards must adhere to Gov. Youngkin's new policies on transgender students, AG says
Virginia school boards must adhere to Gov. Youngkin’s new policies on transgender students, AG says
The Associated Press
August 24, 2023, 2:59 PM
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s new model policies for the treatment of transgender students are in line with federal and state nondiscrimination laws and school boards must follow their guidance, the state’s attorney general said in a nonbinding legal analysis released Thursday.
“The Model Policies ensure that all students are treated with dignity and that parental involvement remains at the center. These policies are fully compliant with the law, and school boards across the Commonwealth should support and implement them,” Attorney General Jason Miyares, also a Republican, said in a statement.
The advisory opinion from Miyares comes as a growing number of school boards across the state are responding to the administration’s guidelines, which were finalized last month after a lengthy review and deal with issues ranging from athletics to pronoun use in the classroom. The guidelines, which under state law are supposed to offer something of a road map for local school districts to fashion their own similar policies, roll back many accommodations for transgender students urged by the previous Democratic administration. They have won praise from conservative and religious groups and sparked criticism from Democrats and LGBTQ advocates.
Some school boards in red-leaning areas of the state have begun to adopt policies consistent with the governor’s. Others, mostly in blue areas, have said they plan to defy them. ... For instance, Fairfax County Public Schools — the state’s largest district — recently told parents it had no plans to change its guidelines for transgender students, which do not align with Youngkin’s.
{snip}
Opinions by the attorney general are only advisory and are not binding on the courts, Eden Heilman, the ACLU of Virginia’s legal director, noted in a statement.
Heilman called Miyares’ opinion “every bit as cruel and misguided as the policies themselves.”
Copyright © 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
The Associated Press
August 24, 2023, 2:59 PM
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s new model policies for the treatment of transgender students are in line with federal and state nondiscrimination laws and school boards must follow their guidance, the state’s attorney general said in a nonbinding legal analysis released Thursday.
“The Model Policies ensure that all students are treated with dignity and that parental involvement remains at the center. These policies are fully compliant with the law, and school boards across the Commonwealth should support and implement them,” Attorney General Jason Miyares, also a Republican, said in a statement.
The advisory opinion from Miyares comes as a growing number of school boards across the state are responding to the administration’s guidelines, which were finalized last month after a lengthy review and deal with issues ranging from athletics to pronoun use in the classroom. The guidelines, which under state law are supposed to offer something of a road map for local school districts to fashion their own similar policies, roll back many accommodations for transgender students urged by the previous Democratic administration. They have won praise from conservative and religious groups and sparked criticism from Democrats and LGBTQ advocates.
Some school boards in red-leaning areas of the state have begun to adopt policies consistent with the governor’s. Others, mostly in blue areas, have said they plan to defy them. ... For instance, Fairfax County Public Schools — the state’s largest district — recently told parents it had no plans to change its guidelines for transgender students, which do not align with Youngkin’s.
{snip}
Opinions by the attorney general are only advisory and are not binding on the courts, Eden Heilman, the ACLU of Virginia’s legal director, noted in a statement.
Heilman called Miyares’ opinion “every bit as cruel and misguided as the policies themselves.”
Copyright © 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
Kick in to the DU tip jar?
This week we're running a special pop-up mini fund drive. From Monday through Friday we're going ad-free for all registered members, and we're asking you to kick in to the DU tip jar to support the site and keep us financially healthy.
As a bonus, making a contribution will allow you to leave kudos for another DU member, and at the end of the week we'll recognize the DUers who you think make this community great.