Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin Goes After School District Not Requiring Parental Consent
Every parent should be concerned about this. At a rally last week in Virginia, the Republican state governor, Glenn Youngkin, lashed out at a school district in his state that directed teachers to transition “transgender” students without their parent’s knowledge.
It was reported last month by several media outlets that teachers in Fairfax County, Virginia were required to complete a training program before the 2022-2023 school year. The program taught that parental consent was not required for transgender students who want to “socially” transition. “Social transitioning” includes going by a preferred name and preferred pronouns that align with someone’s “gender identity.”
“They [school officials] think that parents have no right to know what your child is discussing with their teacher or their counselor, particularly when some of the most important topics, most important topics that a child may want to discuss are being determined,” Youngkin said at the rally.
“What’s their name? What pronoun will they use? How are they going to express their gender? This is a decision that bureaucrats in Fairfax County believe that they should be able to make without telling parents,” he continued.
The training program in question is called, “Supporting Gender Expansive and Transgender Youth.” It was assigned on July 22 to teachers in all grade levels in the Fairfax County Public Schools. This included preschool, according to the Washington Examiner.
That newspaper found that the course indicated that parental permission was not required for a student who wants to go by a “chosen name” in class.
But it’s more than that, parents also do not need to be notified if a student wants to use the locker room that goes with their chosen gender option.
Debra Tisler, a former Fairfax County teacher, said this week that the training was “tragic.”
“Parent rights are being obstructed left and right by the school system, and they’re using loopholes and laws to try and get around it,” Tisler said.
Youngkin said that he believed parents should be in charge of their children’s education.
