Goochland County School District
Why Is My County Rated Yellow?
The Family Foundation uses these three policies as a gauge for whether schools are safe for students and staff.
VDOE – Virginia Department of Education’s Model Policies for “The Treatment of Transgender Students” is a 27-page document with sample policies for school boards to adopt either in whole or to model after. Goochland County did not adopt VDOE’s model policies, or any policies model after them.
VSBA- Virginia School Board Association’s Spring or Summer Updates add Va. Code §22.1-23.3 (Treatment of transgender students; policies) to various school policies’ legal reference including but not limited to non-discrimination, student records, educational philosophy, etc. Goochland County adopted the VSBA summer updates.
SOGI – “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as a protected class in non-discrimination and/or anti-harassment policies. Goochland County has SOGI in their non-discrimination and anti-harassment policies.
Will this policy compel speech regarding pronouns?
This policy can be interpreted to compel speech if the school board chooses. For example, Peter Vlaming was fired by West Point School Board under this very policy, for failure to use a student’s chosen pronoun. It is not the intention of every school district to use this non-discrimination policy to force compelled speech on its students and staff, but due to the vague nature of this policy it leaves staff and students vulnerable to future interpretations.
Will this policy allow students to use the bathroom of their choice?
There is no well-known case of this as there is with pronouns. However, since it is clear that you cannot discriminate on the basis of gender identity it can be interpreted to mean that one cannot deny someone the bathroom that “corresponds with their gender identity”. Thus, while it is the will of current body of the Louisa County School Board to not interpret it as such, future elected members and other school officials may choose to read it differently.
Will this policy allow schools to deceive parents about a student’s “transgender status”?
Due to the vague nature of the policy that question cannot be answered affirmably, however, it is highly unlikely.