Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin鈥檚 proposed policy changes for transgender students in schools saw more pushback Tuesday, with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voting to formally oppose the idea.
The board voted to send a letter to the Virginia Department of Education claiming that the policies are discriminatory and would be “bad for business,” potentially causing companies to choose not to move to Virginia as a result.
Board members said the policies would “have a chilling effect on our continued ability to attract the world鈥檚 most innovative companies.”
Wednesday is the last day for the public to , which would require parental signoff on the use of any name or pronoun other than what is in a student鈥檚 official record.
After the public comment period closes, the Virginia Department of Education plans to review the comments and may edit the guidelines before they are finalized by the state superintendent.
Even though Fairfax County and other jurisdictions in Northern Virginia have protested, Youngkin has made it clear that he expects all local school boards to adopt policies 鈥渃onsistent with鈥� the education department鈥檚 model, in accordance with a 2020 state law.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the law,鈥� Youngkin said in a recent interview with 海角社区app. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 be in a moment where people can just pick the laws they want to abide by and the ones they don鈥檛.鈥�
Youngkin argued that the idea was 鈥渇undamentally rooted in re-establishing the role of parents in these most important decisions.鈥�
The policies say that student participation in certain school programming and use of school facilities, such as bathrooms or locker rooms, should be based on their biological sex, with modifications offered only to the extent required under federal law.
It marks a sharp departure from the previous policies issued in 2021 during former Gov. Ralph Northam鈥檚 administration.
Those policies said schools should let students use names and gender pronouns that reflect their gender identity without 鈥渁ny substantiating evidence.鈥�
