Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is defying Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s school guidance, vowing to continue catering to “transgender and gender-expansive students” by using their “preferred pronouns” and providing “access to facilities, activities, and/or trips consistent with their gender identity.”
In a policy update posted August 15, FCPS made it clear that it intends defy the will of the governor and concerned parents.
A gay and transgender students’ rights supporter gestures towards the camera during a Chino Valley Unified School District after being removed for disrupting proceedings at Don Lugo High School in Chino July 20, 2023. CVUSD will vote on a parental notification policy requiring schools to notify parents if their child changes their pronouns. (Will Lester/MediaNews Group/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin via Getty)
“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,” Michelle Reid, Superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools said in the Tuesday update, explaining that the school district 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.”
“Our existing policies still stand,” she continued, listing those policies, such as having teachers and staff refer to students by their chosen name and preferred pronouns, even if they are contrary to their biological sex.
Students will also have access to facilities, “activities” and trips that are “consistent with their gender identity,” regardless of if they are contrary to their biological sex.
“As a school division our policies, procedures, and values should reflect our community. We will continue to consider feedback from everyone on Team FCPS – our students, staff, families, and community, in order to best support our students and staff while working with parents and caregivers,” she continued, citing the “diversity of voices and expertness” as “one of our community’s greatest strengths.”
This policy update stands in direct defiance to actions taken by Gov. Youngkin, who last month directed public schools to use the names and pronouns of children as listed on their birth certificate unless a parent makes a written request. Under Youngkin’s guidelines, students would also be expected to use restrooms or facilities that correspond with their biological sex — not their gender identity — unless a parent opts their child out and would like them to use a separate facility.
As Breitbart News reported, “Notably, the guidelines also prohibit schools from hiding information about students from their parents. For example, schools are now forbidden from allowing teachers to conceal a student’s gender confusion from their parents.”
“Per usual, leadership at FCPS is more concerned with appeasing liberal activists than they are in ensuring ALL students feel safe in schools and on-campus facilities,” Michele Exner, Senior Advisor at Parents Defending Education, said in an emailed statement, adding that the policy is “completely one-sided and ignores the concerns of hundreds of parents who are rightfully worried about how this policy will impact their daughters.”
“The FCPS position potentially forces girls to share their locker rooms, sport fields, and even lodging on field trips with biological males,” she added. “This is insanity and parents should not stand for it. Parents Defending Education will continue to fight back on this nonsensical and discriminatory policy,” she added.