Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is the latest school system to succumb to the pressures of the Obama administration’s new transgender directive. Last week they sneakily passed an amendment that includes adding “gender identity” to the list of characteristics in the non-discrimination policy listed in the Students Rights and Responsibilities handbook.
The policy now reads “No student, employee, or applicant for employment in the Fairfax County Public Schools shall, on the basis of age, race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, marital status, or disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity, as required by law.”
This means that students now must be treated and classified as the gender they identify with at that given point in time, regardless of their appearance or biological sex.
Punishment for violating the Student Rights and Responsibilities guidelines can range from something as simple as a student teacher conference to possible suspension for ten days. As a former FCPS student, and having a sibling in that school system, I can confirm that students are coerced into signing a contract agreeing to adhere to the Student Rights and Responsibilities handbook, with no alternative provided.
The Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) school board swiftly voted to include this language in material by which all students and staff are expected to abide. The school board did this by not giving advanced notice to parents about the proposed change. This left parents who are concerned about the privacy of their children at a serious disadvantage, unable to sign up for a slot to speak in front of the school board. The amendment passed in a 9-3 vote, with a request to postpone the vote until June 30th to allow for further discussion denied.
As elected officials, school board members need to behave as public servants, not use their positions as vehicles to promote their own agendas. If the FCPS school board were confident that this policy is best for the well being of students, there would be no need to fly under the radar.
Parents have the right to be concerned about their children’s safety and well-being in school. Students also have the right to comfortably change after gym class or go to the bathroom without the risk of a member of the opposite sex invading their privacy.
This unacceptable behavior is pervasive on high school and college campuses across the country. Too many administrators do not care about the safety and well-being of students, but choose instead to use their position of power to push a leftist social agenda.
