Please pass HB217. Moe can be done to encourage and educate students about opportunities in STEM-C fields and to make sure that educational opportunities in our schools are adequately supporting students pursuing these goals. Identifying the full range of employment opportunities in these areas and the education needed to succeed in them can only be a benefit. Please pass HB221. Please oppose HB344. The establishment of charter schools should remain with local school boards who are accountable to their constituents. Members of the State Board of Education are appointed and consequently are accountable only to those who appointed them. Also, this bill provides that there is no longer the opportunity to revisit the decisions of this State or local boards in granting or continuing such charter. The public should not lose a mechanism of redress already in place. Please oppose HB346. The establishment of charter schools should remain with local school boards who are accountable to their constituents. Extending the establishment of charter and lab schools to private institutions of higher ed and private businesses further removes the oversight of such schools to boards that have no accountability to the public that they serve. Please oppose HB356. The establishment of charter schools should remain with local school boards who are accountable to their constituents. Please oppose HB486. Governor's School admissions should not be constricted by an arbitrary quota of students from one district. Please oppose HB563. While assisting local districts in funding construction where school buildings are in disrepair is a desirable goal, the diversion of funds allocated for instruction should not be institutionalized as a regular mechanism to accomplish this. Please pass HB585. Standardized testing has become the tail that wags the dog in education. Increasing amounts of time are dedicated to teaching towards the test and administering tests to the detriment of education tailored to the needs of students and localities. Reducing such testing the minimum required for federal accountability would free time and resources to more fully meet the needs of students. Please oppose 789. Family life education should remain an opt out program instead of an opt in program. The latter puts an onerous burden on schools for the delivery of this important curriculum. Please oppose HB988. Transgender students deserve equal protection in schools across the Commonwealth. All school districts should maintain certain expectations in this regard. Please pass HB994 Please pass HB1005. This bill stipulates that teachers under continuing contract can resign within the school year but must do so providing 2 weeks of notice. Such a provision provides more time for local school districts to make arrangements for staffing adjustments. Please pass HB1023. Human trafficking is increasingly a problem in the Commonwealth and beyond. Our students should be alert to its threats and educated as to how to protect themselves from it. Please pass HB1026. With technology and the internet playing an increasing role in every aspect of our lives, expanding our understanding of this role and improving education surrounding it can only be a good thing. Please pass HB1299. Our students need as much information as possible about their opportunities after graduating from our public school system.

No on HB 486: It is inequitable to assign a specific, arbitrary number of admissions to one county. The admissions process should consider a pool of all eligible candidates from the dedicated region and offer admissions blind to race, disability, zip code, etc.

HB486 no more quotas. HB789 pro this. HB844, we already have procedures covering this. HB988 we have requirements on this already, so yes. Pro 1023, we need this especially in VB I know its happening so this might help kids to prevent it. Thank you.

As a resident of Loudoun past few years and as a resident of Fairfax for almost a decade before, I request the House to please consider increasing seat allocation to Loudoun County high-schoolers to be eligible to graduate from a prestigious institution like TJ. A high percentage of these school graduates end up in our state Virginia (Because of in-state tuition) colleges and are very likely to work in Northern Virginia. My point is to keep the brightest students from Loudoun and other suburbs to align with the bright minds of Fairfax and Arlington counties to enhance Virginia’s edge in scientific learning as well as being a part of future tax-paying work force. -Dharma.

NO on HB-486 - Arbitrarily assigning a number of admissions to any one county or group of students is a disservice to any students who would qualify yet be denied acceptance due to a random minimum number suggested by any one school division for itself.

I am a teacher in FCPS, and I personally support all of this bills. All of these bills are also part of Virginia Education Association's list of bills to support.

To Whom It May Concern, Thank you for the opportunity to comment on HB 1034. As a public high school school teacher and parent of two young children (ages 5 and 2) in Virginia, I have serious concerns that this bill will wind up doing more harm than good for the children of our state. I have worked in two different public school systems in Virginia over 13 years, and I have seen first hand how beneficial counseling services can be to a wide variety of students. If parents are allowed to prohibit their students from accessing counseling services in the school, these students may be cut off from not only critical mental health support, but but also the academic, career, and community support that school counselors and mental health team members provide. All members of a school mental health team must undergo rigorous education before obtaining their licenses, and as such they should be trusted as the professionals they are to provide only services that they deem necessary for students well-being. I strongly urge you to let the trained mental health professionals do their jobs. Don't make students get tied in the mire of adult squibbles. Thank you, Sara Watkins Mother Teacher Concerned Virginia Citizen

To Whom It May Concern, Thank you for the opportunity to comment on HB HB1032. As a public high school school teacher and parent of two young children (ages 5 and 2) in Virginia, I have serious concerns that this bill will wind up doing more harm than good for the children of our state. As VA Senator Peterson said on January 27 of this year, regarding a similar bill, "I don't think we should be involved in micromanaging school libraries...The problem is that you’re going to sweep up books that you don’t intend to sweep up" (Matthew Barakat, abcnews.go.com). I strongly urge you to leave the books in the libraries for the kids. They deserve to have the opportunity to decide with their own parents and personal support systems what books to read. Thank you, Sara Watkins Mother Teacher Concerned Virginia Citizen

Please pass HB217. Moe can be done to encourage and educate students about opportunities in STEM-C fields and to make sure that educational opportunities in our schools are adequately supporting students pursuing these goals. Identifying the full range of employment opportunities in these areas and the education needed to succeed in them can only be a benefit. Please pass HB221. Please oppose HB344. The establishment of charter schools should remain with local school boards who are accountable to their constituents. Members of the State Board of Education are appointed and consequently are accountable only to those who appointed them. Also, this bill provides that there is no longer the opportunity to revisit the decisions of this State or local boards in granting or continuing such charter. The public should not lose a mechanism of redress already in place. Please oppose HB346. The establishment of charter schools should remain with local school boards who are accountable to their constituents. Extending the establishment of charter and lab schools to private institutions of higher ed and private businesses further removes the oversight of such schools to boards that have no accountability to the public that they serve. Please oppose HB356. The establishment of charter schools should remain with local school boards who are accountable to their constituents. Please oppose HB486. Governor's School admissions should not be constricted by an arbitrary quota of students from one district. Please oppose HB563. While assisting local districts in funding construction where school buildings are in disrepair is a desirable goal, the diversion of funds allocated for instruction should not be institutionalized as a regular mechanism to accomplish this. Please pass HB585. Standardized testing has become the tail that wags the dog in education. Increasing amounts of time are dedicated to teaching towards the test and administering tests to the detriment of education tailored to the needs of students and localities. Reducing such testing the minimum required for federal accountability would free time and resources to more fully meet the needs of students. Please oppose 789. Family life education should remain an opt out program instead of an opt in program. The latter puts an onerous burden on schools for the delivery of this important curriculum. Please oppose HB988. Transgender students deserve equal protection in schools across the Commonwealth. All school districts should maintain certain expectations in this regard. Please pass HB994 Please pass HB1005. This bill stipulates that teachers under continuing contract can resign within the school year but must do so providing 2 weeks of notice. Such a provision provides more time for local school districts to make arrangements for staffing adjustments. Please pass HB1023. Human trafficking is increasingly a problem in the Commonwealth and beyond. Our students should be alert to its threats and educated as to how to protect themselves from it. Please pass HB1026. With technology and the internet playing an increasing role in every aspect of our lives, expanding our understanding of this role and improving education surrounding it can only be a good thing. Please pass HB1299. Our students need as much information as possible about their opportunities after graduating from our public school system.

I am a public school teacher in Fairfax County and I am writing in opposition to HB 789. Parents and guardians already have the right to preview Family Life Education curriculum and materials and have the ability to opt their child out of any and all FLE lessons that they choose. This bill would make it harder for students to access important lessons about their bodies and sexual health. I am also genuinely puzzled by the deletion of the word "guardian". It seems like an unnecessary jab at non-traditional family structures.

Please move to report HB344, HB346, HB356, HB789, HB1188, HB221, HB340, HB1125, HB1215, HB988, HB1023, HB1093. Please gently PBI HB486 so that academic merits ONLY decide who gets in.

I SUPPORT HB 844, 1023, 1026, and 1184. More comprehensive and accurate FLE curriculum is a positive development for the commonwealth. I SUPPORT HB 1184 both as a private citizen and 2nd generation immigrant as well as on behalf of my employer, Edu-Futuro, an organization that empowers immigrant families through education. Many, if not most, of the community Edu-Futuro serves speaks a language other than English, and HB 1184 would dramatically improve educational and career outcomes for the children of these communities. I OPPOSE HB 789 and 988. Transgender individual lives matter and again, FLE curriculum needs to be accurate and inclusive.

Comments Document

Children have a right to an education about all things that will impact their lives, and science-based (and lgbtq inclusive) sex education is vital for all of our young people to help them to grow into respectful people who understand consent, boundaries, safe sex practices, and their own identities. Parents who deny their children this education are infringing on the children's rights to gain the knowledge that they need to make healthy choices about their lives. If parents wanted to opt their kids out of math or history they would be laughed out of the room and yet when it comes to vital information about bodies and lives suddenly everyone cares more about what parents want than what kids need. There is decades of research and data to support the idea that comprehensive sex education is beneficial to students individually and to society as a whole. Evidence-based sexual health education can improve academic success; prevent dating violence, and bullying; help youth develop healthier relationships; delay sexual initiation; reduce unplanned pregnancy, HIV, and other STIs; and reduce sexual health disparities among LGBTQ youth. To the parents who worry about their kids engaging in early sexual activity, the research shows that the better sex education they have the later they will have their first sexual experience. I've attached a scholarly literature review below to support these claims. - Three Decades of Research: The Case for Comprehensive Sex Education (Eva S. Goldfarb, Ph. D, and Lisa D. Lieberman, Ph. D) The Journal of Adolescent Health Published October 12, 2020 Sincerely, Mom of Two

Yes to HB-789. We deserve full, advance transparency pertaining to any materials offered by any (not just public, private, too) schools to our children, especially topics which may be considered sensitive.

YES on HB789 - I've suggested this for years, that Family Life should be Opt-IN, not Opt-OUT, and that all related materials should be transparently available to all parents (without having to take off work and schedule an in-person appointment with a family life 'specialist' to review materials prior to an Opt-IN selection. With technology as it is, and especially with the ease of technology in posting documents and videos these days, with an assigned password, a parent should be able to review all materials online at a time convenient for them well in advance of any Opt-IN deadline. With the smut some are trying to make available to youth in public school libraries, certainly family life subjects must be fully transparent. Thank you for this bill.

HB486 no more quotas. HB789 pro this. HB844, we already have procedures covering this. HB988 we have requirements on this already, so yes. Pro 1023, we need this especially in VB I know its happening so this might help kids to prevent it. Thank you.

Virginia Faith and Freedom Coalition supports this bill.

I SUPPORT HB 844, 1023, 1026, and 1184. More comprehensive and accurate FLE curriculum is a positive development for the commonwealth. I SUPPORT HB 1184 both as a private citizen and 2nd generation immigrant as well as on behalf of my employer, Edu-Futuro, an organization that empowers immigrant families through education. Many, if not most, of the community Edu-Futuro serves speaks a language other than English, and HB 1184 would dramatically improve educational and career outcomes for the children of these communities. I OPPOSE HB 789 and 988. Transgender individual lives matter and again, FLE curriculum needs to be accurate and inclusive.

No on HB 844 - You left out hate speech etc. against persons with disabilities. Why has Virginia and especially our schools had such a war on kids with disabilities?

HB486 no more quotas. HB789 pro this. HB844, we already have procedures covering this. HB988 we have requirements on this already, so yes. Pro 1023, we need this especially in VB I know its happening so this might help kids to prevent it. Thank you.

To Whom It May Concern, Thank you for the opportunity to comment on HB 1034. As a public high school school teacher and parent of two young children (ages 5 and 2) in Virginia, I have serious concerns that this bill will wind up doing more harm than good for the children of our state. I have worked in two different public school systems in Virginia over 13 years, and I have seen first hand how beneficial counseling services can be to a wide variety of students. If parents are allowed to prohibit their students from accessing counseling services in the school, these students may be cut off from not only critical mental health support, but but also the academic, career, and community support that school counselors and mental health team members provide. All members of a school mental health team must undergo rigorous education before obtaining their licenses, and as such they should be trusted as the professionals they are to provide only services that they deem necessary for students well-being. I strongly urge you to let the trained mental health professionals do their jobs. Don't make students get tied in the mire of adult squibbles. Thank you, Sara Watkins Mother Teacher Concerned Virginia Citizen

To Whom It May Concern, Thank you for the opportunity to comment on HB HB1032. As a public high school school teacher and parent of two young children (ages 5 and 2) in Virginia, I have serious concerns that this bill will wind up doing more harm than good for the children of our state. As VA Senator Peterson said on January 27 of this year, regarding a similar bill, "I don't think we should be involved in micromanaging school libraries...The problem is that you’re going to sweep up books that you don’t intend to sweep up" (Matthew Barakat, abcnews.go.com). I strongly urge you to leave the books in the libraries for the kids. They deserve to have the opportunity to decide with their own parents and personal support systems what books to read. Thank you, Sara Watkins Mother Teacher Concerned Virginia Citizen

I urge you to support HB 1036 and give parents the right to choose whether their child wears a mask at school. This bill gives parents choice rather than blankly mandating all students be forced to wear a mask. I also urge you to support HB988 and remove the mandate that all school boards adopt transgender policies which are harmful to children and unconstitutional. The needs of transgender students can be satisfied with a reasonable accommodation that does not infringe in the privacy and dignity rights of all students to not have to use the restroom or change clothing in front of the opposite sex. Single occupant facilities can be provided for all students requiring an accommodation. It is also unconstitutional to compel teachers to use a students preferred name and pronouns if doing so violates their personal, moral or religious beliefs. Teachers have free speech rights guaranteed by the First Amemdment to the U.S. Constitution. The Tanner Cross case is a perfect example. It is also noteworthy that children struggling with gender confusion like we have a mental disorder known as gender dysphoria. This mental health is treatable but not by unqualified school employee s acting as medical professionals facilitating the social transition of children to a gender identity which ones not match their biological sex. Schools need to be in the business of educating children on subjects like math, English science, not meddling with mental health issues which could have serious consequences.

The ACLU of Virginia opposes HB988. HB988 seeks to repeal the requirement that school districts adopt VDOE’s model policy protecting trans and nonbinary students. Such a repeal would place school districts at risk of costly litigation for violating state and federal laws. Moreover, transgender youth have the right to be supported and thrive in schools as their authentic selves, no matter where they live in Virginia. To ensure this, all school boards must adopt clear and comprehensive non-discrimination policies, like those provided by VDOE. It is for these reasons we urge you to vote “no” on this bill.

Good morning members of the committee, Equality Virginia strongly opposes HB 988. Students, educators, parents, grandparents, people of faith, and healthcare professionals from all over the Commonwealth have urged you to oppose this bill because they know that the VDOE model policies help create a safe and supportive environment for all youth. This bill would not only harmful to transgender students, but it would also make the jobs of Virginia’s public school teacher and administrators more difficult, as the model policies were designed to help school staff effectively implement Title IX. This is especially true pertaining to the use of school facilities. Transgender students use restrooms and locker rooms for the same reasons everyone does. And when they do, they value safety, privacy, and modesty just like everyone else. Transgender students have the right to use the facilities that align with their gender identity – just like everyone else. This is not only the law, but it was also recently affirmed in the 4th circuit court, here in our own backyard. Keeping the VDOE model policies is place is not only the right thing to do, it’s also the law. And we strongly urge you to vote no on HB 988. Thank you.

Please pass HB217. Moe can be done to encourage and educate students about opportunities in STEM-C fields and to make sure that educational opportunities in our schools are adequately supporting students pursuing these goals. Identifying the full range of employment opportunities in these areas and the education needed to succeed in them can only be a benefit. Please pass HB221. Please oppose HB344. The establishment of charter schools should remain with local school boards who are accountable to their constituents. Members of the State Board of Education are appointed and consequently are accountable only to those who appointed them. Also, this bill provides that there is no longer the opportunity to revisit the decisions of this State or local boards in granting or continuing such charter. The public should not lose a mechanism of redress already in place. Please oppose HB346. The establishment of charter schools should remain with local school boards who are accountable to their constituents. Extending the establishment of charter and lab schools to private institutions of higher ed and private businesses further removes the oversight of such schools to boards that have no accountability to the public that they serve. Please oppose HB356. The establishment of charter schools should remain with local school boards who are accountable to their constituents. Please oppose HB486. Governor's School admissions should not be constricted by an arbitrary quota of students from one district. Please oppose HB563. While assisting local districts in funding construction where school buildings are in disrepair is a desirable goal, the diversion of funds allocated for instruction should not be institutionalized as a regular mechanism to accomplish this. Please pass HB585. Standardized testing has become the tail that wags the dog in education. Increasing amounts of time are dedicated to teaching towards the test and administering tests to the detriment of education tailored to the needs of students and localities. Reducing such testing the minimum required for federal accountability would free time and resources to more fully meet the needs of students. Please oppose 789. Family life education should remain an opt out program instead of an opt in program. The latter puts an onerous burden on schools for the delivery of this important curriculum. Please oppose HB988. Transgender students deserve equal protection in schools across the Commonwealth. All school districts should maintain certain expectations in this regard. Please pass HB994 Please pass HB1005. This bill stipulates that teachers under continuing contract can resign within the school year but must do so providing 2 weeks of notice. Such a provision provides more time for local school districts to make arrangements for staffing adjustments. Please pass HB1023. Human trafficking is increasingly a problem in the Commonwealth and beyond. Our students should be alert to its threats and educated as to how to protect themselves from it. Please pass HB1026. With technology and the internet playing an increasing role in every aspect of our lives, expanding our understanding of this role and improving education surrounding it can only be a good thing. Please pass HB1299. Our students need as much information as possible about their opportunities after graduating from our public school system.

I am writing in firm OPPOSITION to the passing of bill HB988 which “eliminates the requirement that each school board adopt policies that are consistent with the model policies developed by the Department of Education concerning the treatment of transgender students in public elementary and secondary schools” and “also removes the requirement for such model policies to include information, guidance, procedures, and standards relating to the use of school facilities, requires the Department to amend its model policies to remove any such information, guidance, procedures, or standards, and requires the Department to make such amended model policies available to each school board no later than the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year.” Schools have a duty to create a safe environment for all students, and that includes our transgender youth. They have every right to exercise the same freedoms that cisgender students are granted. No school should have the ability to take those freedoms away from any transgender student. We have already learned from previous experience with racial segregation in schools that allowing smaller jurisdictions to choose whether or not they want to uphold a standard of equality leads to inequality overall. It was only when desegregation became a universal standard that racial equality was brought about in schools. In this same way, we must uphold a universal standard of treatment in the state for transgender students. Our state motto is “Virginia is for lovers.” Let’s keep in line with what we say our values are and show love to our transgender students by ensuring they are treated with the same level of dignity and respect that our cisgender students receive.

Virginia’s model policies for transgender students are an essential tool for educators and administrators who are working towards creating school environments that affirm and protect all students. Removing the requirement for school boards to adopt trans-inclusive policy based on this model is a step in the wrong direction for our state. Transgender youth need the support of a positive, welcoming school system in order to meet their educational and emotional needs, and this support should not be dependent on the county or municipality in which they happen to reside. All delegates should oppose this harmful effort to roll back protections for Virginia’s transgender youth.

Please move to report HB344, HB346, HB356, HB789, HB1188, HB221, HB340, HB1125, HB1215, HB988, HB1023, HB1093. Please gently PBI HB486 so that academic merits ONLY decide who gets in.

I oppose this bill. All students in Virginia's schools should be treated with fairness and dignity.

This bill is supremely disrespectful to vulnerable students who only want to live their lives in safety. Either transgender students have inherent worth and dignity or you deny that they do. There is no moral middle ground that makes these standards acceptable in some places and not acceptable in other places. The bill ensures continued protracted hate speech which has already traumatized children and their families throughout our Commonwealth.

Again, I (a FCPS teacher and VEA member) write in opposition to HB 988. Do not allow individual school districts to defy the Department of Education's policies that exist to protect transgender students in Virginia. Doing so will have disastrous consequences.

Comments Document

Testimony in opposition to HB 988.

I support HB 988. The VDOE Model Policies for Transgender Students in School forced on districts obstruct the rights of biological girls to privacy and fair athletic competition. After disregarding overwhelming public opposition to these "Model Policies", dismantling the VDOE mandate is one small step toward a full and transparent and fair consideration at the most local level of how school boards in conjunction with parents can best identify the obstacles at school students struggling due to their gender identity face, and address these obstacles without eliminating completely privacy rights for biological/natal females and athletic competition exclusive to biological/natal female students that school boards should all be protecting.

Both the Virginia Education Association, and I (a public school teacher in Fairfax County) OPPOSE HB 988. This bill is transphobic and would create an unsafe and unwelcoming environment for my beloved LGBTQ+ students at school. Additionally, this bill is a slap in the face to those individuals and organizations that worked so hard to ensure these rights in Virginia in the first place. Individual school districts should not be allowed to discriminate on the basis of sex, gender, or sexual identity.

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Transgender individuals have existed across all known cultures, civilizations and can identify themselves as such from an early age. The only way forward with anything is education, and the biggest irony would be to support an educational bill that support erasure and prevents schools from assisting their students. Before anything else, when it comes to schooling, a transgender student is a student. Allowing for or creating a hostile environment because of fear and ignorance is contradictory to the purpose of education. Vote NO on HB988. Allow our students, all of the regardless of gender identity and expression, to find school a place of learning and acceptance. The world will not always accept them or treat them kindly, this is true. But we have the opportunity to make sure their place of education can accept and treat them kindly. Is that not then what we should do, regardless of gender? Of expression of gender? Children of virginia deserve that at least. This bill does the opposite, making it harder for schools to support all their students.

Good evening, my name is Michael Olex. I am from Ashland and have two middle schoolers. Please vote no on HB 988. Transgender and nonbinary students are just like their peers, and they deserve the same right to a supportive and unencumbered educational experience. This policy is creating an environment of fear and exclusion when all these kids want to do is be themselves. As someone who occasionally substitute teaches, older kids are already trying to be exclusionary. Please don’t give them another avenue to proceed. We all want schools to be safe places. The argument against this policy is generally based on safety. Only by protecting our trans youth can we make sure that our schools are safe places for all children to grow and thrive. This policy was put into our facts at the behest of educators. The VDOE model policies were formulated in response to educators and administrators across the Commonwealth expressing a direct need for concrete policies on the treatment of transgender and nonbinary students. If the feeling of the Virginia house is that the policy is not perfect, come up with something. However, to throw the baby out with the bathwater is illogical. School personnel needs support and to deny them this opportunity flies in the face of the rhetoric regarding love for teachers. Support them! By eliminating the requirement for school boards to adopt the VDOE model policies would make educators’ and administrators’ jobs infinitely more difficult. The Model policies were designed to help school staff implement Title IX effectively. vote NO on HB 988.

"I want to speak against this bill which would roll back protections for transgender students. As a teacher, I've seen how all kids thrive when their identities are respected and honored, and they know the adults in their lives see them, accept them, and expect great things from them. This is even more important when a student has an identity that has been marginalized or attacked as less - than. Trans students deserve what every student does - to feel safe at school and respected for who they know they are. Please remember that as you vote today.

I want to speak against this bill which would roll back protections for transgender students. As a teacher, I've seen how all kids thrive when their identities are respected and honored, and they know the adults in their lives see them, accept them, and expect great things from them. This is even more important when a student has an identity that has been marginalized or attacked as less - than. Trans students deserve what every student does - to feel safe at school and respected for who they know they are. Please remember that as you vote today.

Allocating the decision on how to handle transgender and LGBTQIA concerns to the school board does not ensure all students and people are treated fairly and consistently across the state. Moving the decision level can cause mistreatment and inconsistency. All schools should be held to the same standard in order to promote an inclusive environment because protecting the students and their rights are of the utmost importance.

I SUPPORT HB 844, 1023, 1026, and 1184. More comprehensive and accurate FLE curriculum is a positive development for the commonwealth. I SUPPORT HB 1184 both as a private citizen and 2nd generation immigrant as well as on behalf of my employer, Edu-Futuro, an organization that empowers immigrant families through education. Many, if not most, of the community Edu-Futuro serves speaks a language other than English, and HB 1184 would dramatically improve educational and career outcomes for the children of these communities. I OPPOSE HB 789 and 988. Transgender individual lives matter and again, FLE curriculum needs to be accurate and inclusive.

My name is Alper D. I am a Virginia Resident, LGBT individual, college student, and healthcare professional at a local community agency. I oppose HB988. Grade school can already be a challenging time for all students, and that can be even more challenging for students who fall outside of the norm. Personally, ever since I came out, I have been fortunate enough to find an accepting community at my school, but I can't imagine how much more scary and stressful my life would be if I did not have this. My heart goes out to all of the young transgender students who experience bullying, treatment, and hate and vitriol from all levels of society on a daily basis. With rates of mental illness, academic struggles, and suicide so high among this population, I think it is not only important, but also life-saving, to help create an environment for these most vulnerable of students. These policies are healthcare. These policies are suicide prevention. This Virginia code doesn't ask much; it asks that we maintain the best evidence-based practices in all of our school districts. it says to our transgender youth: "I see you. I know how much it sucks to be bullied, and we are doing everything we can to stop that from happening. We want to create an environment where you can succeed academically. We want to extend to you the same rights and freedoms, and protections extended to every other American, regardless of how you identify. You matter!!" Today I am asking you to think of our children, and of the academic potential of our great nation's future professionals, when you vote on whether to continue to provide support to these students.

The Anti-trans bill is harmful to the safety and well being of ALL students, including trans Kids.

SUPPORT HB 988. A lot of the comments in opposition to HB 988 use very emotionally loaded language. They talk of empathy, understanding, kindness, free choices. These are all worthy values. However, I would ask them, and you, where is the empathy, understanding, and kindness for girls? Where is the empathy for girls who don’t want to change among members of the opposite sex - the same male classmates who may already be verbally harassing them or touching them inappropriately? To force women and girls to be in a vulnerable state among those who are statistically most likely to assault them sexually is a violation of their human rights. As an aside, I’ve noticed a lot of fear mongering of youth suicide here. When any other group or person threatens suicide to influence another’s actions, that’s considered manipulative and abusive behavior. All HB988 does is make it possible for localities to do as they see fit for their unique situation. Let them make decisions based on what affects them. School board members, teachers, parents and especially students ought to have a say in legislation that will affect them in very personal ways. Let girls, especially, have a voice and make their own decisions about who sees their bodies

Yes to 988 - Our school division won't even accommodate children with disabilities they were born with, or acquired and CAN'T change, but everyone else has to give up their privacies for a very few who choose to be transgender...Why do these kids have an issue with using a private restroom when they're already announcing to the world they choose not, at whatever moment, to be who they were born to be? My daughter is AFRAID to use the restroom at school because there might be boys in there. So are her friends.

Comments Document

Testimony in opposition of HB 988 on behalf of the Human Rights Campaign.

I support HB 988 - Girls, nor Boys, should be subject to someone born (or of) the opposite gender being in their private spaces. It's already costing taxpayers fortunes in modifying restrooms/locker rooms for the needs of a few who have chosen a non-traditional lifestyle. Just give all LGBTQ+++++ students their own space together, like locker rooms and restrooms, and allow the students, who are the very vast majority, to continue to have the personal privacies they also deserve. This way one group doesn't impose their will upon another due to their own choices.

Hello. I've been a resident of Virginia since the 1980s, my own middle school days. As a Christian and Virginia public school graduate and parent, I implore you to vote NO on HB 988. Trans and gender non-conforming children and teens are among the most vulnerable in our school system. The protections provided by the model policies not only ensure they can receive an equal education to their peers, but may very well save lives. Please vote this bill down. Thank you.

I support HB-988: My daughter should not be subject to worry if someone born a boy, with boy parts, being in the same locker-room or restroom. Straight kids have rights and needs for privacy, too.

Yes to HB 988! - Why are we forcefully sacrificing the privacy and safety of a vast majority of students for a few with gender dysphoria? Transgender students are 'different' and deserve fairness and respect of their choices as long as they don't infringe upon the rights of others.

As a lifelong resident of Virginia, I am writing to urge you to oppose House Bill 988. This bill would remove the requirement for school boards to adopt policies that align with the Virginia Department of Education's Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students. The VDOE model policies were created in part because teachers and parents saw the need for concrete guidance on the treatment of transgender and non-binary students. Removing the requirement harms youth, confuses caregivers and makes the job of administration more difficult. Please vote "NO" on HB 988. Only by protecting trans youth can we make sure that our schools are safe places for ALL children to grow and thrive.

As a teacher and as a person in this world, I believe nothing is more important than protecting and providing education to our children. While most students can access a great education and are supported, not all can. Unfortunately in the past, transgender students have not been protected within the public school environment. It is the responsibility of the public education system and beyond to protect ALL students and their education. We must continue to support and respect their identities, because we respect and honor everyone else's. We owe them the respect, honor, and encouragement we offer to each and every student. If we can't protect all of our students, we aren't protecting any of them. Please remember this as you vote today, your vote holds the power to keep transgender students safe and flourish to achieve their goals.

I am strongly against this bill! Why would you ever eliminate a requirement to treat transgender children fairly? Why would VA allow policies that harms the treatment of our children in schools? How could treating all children equally ever be a bad thing? This is a step backwards for VA and must not be allowed to go forward.

Against

I am submitting comments against HB988. Regardless of your beliefs about their gender, trans children are an emotionally vulnerable population in need of support. My own daughter chose to be remote all of last year because she was uncomfortable returning to school without support. The model policies put in place allowed her to thrive this year. No one questions her gender or looks twice when she enters a girls' bathroom. Forcing her to use a bathroom(among other things) that does not match her gender presentation would be humiliating and possibly dangerous. She is not a predator, and does not deserve to be treated like one because of someone else's actions. Please do not strip protection from this vulnerable population.

As much as I deplore having to oppose my own assembly delegate, I must speak out about the horribly detrimental effect of refusing school children their own right to their identities. My spouse and I have seven grandchildren, two of whom are transgender. Those two, one of whom has reached majority, are intelligent, informed, thoughtful and knowledgeable, and their family wholeheartedly accepts and acknowledges their ability to know their own gender. Please do not encourage bigotry, hatred, or harassment of transgender youth. They should use the bathroom of their chosen gender identity and should be accepted as who they say they are, including using their preferred pronouns. Schools should listen to their students and their students' families regarding gender....NO ONE ELSE. Let us teach tolerance, love, and acceptance in our schools. Thank you for listening.

We are two years into a global pandemic and families are still struggling to find a new normal. I ask that you consider this before adding more instability to their lives. Please continue to maintain a safe environment for kids to live. Everyone deserves to feel safe and respected as a fellow human being regardless of their gender identification.

I provide mental health services to trans and non binary students. I have heard their fears about being unsafe in school because of mistreatment from faculty and other students. Their complaints are often dismissed, and they are filled with shame for who they are because of their experiences at school. Research has shown that providing support and care for these kids can literally save their lives. My youngest also falls into this category and has asked to leave school early or not attend at all due to feeling unsafe. They have been teased and bullied with few interventions provided by faculty and staff who have been present during some of these events. They and all students deserve to go to school to learn and grow without being afraid of being verbally or physically assaulted because of who they are.

Trans kids need our support. Attempts to erase them does extensive damage to their sense of self. There will still be trans kids in school, even if this terrible bill passes. Please oppose this attempt to legalize discrimination against vulnerable children.

I'm writing against this book that removes safety from the schools. Queer and trans youth deserve to be respected the same as their straight and cisgender peers. Included in providing them safety at school is accommodating their needs. All students deserve too have a positive school experience, that gets multiplied when they are any kind of minority when it's racial, the orientation and presentation, being neurodivergent, living with physical differences and more. Removing the VDOE protections and requirements will lead to students getting hurt out struggling in school, it would be lack of equity and a disservice. We are a stronger state when we uplift those who need help instead of throwing them away because they're different. Homogeny is death, that happened years ago when a fungus wiped out the then most popular species of bananas. If we raise all of our students respecting what makes them unique they won't just improve Virginia for Virginians, they're improve the country.

I am so proud that Newport News passed protections for trans students. These students are incredibly at risk and the measures passed in the state law help keep them safe and allow them to learn without fear of constant discrimination. When kids tell us who they are, we should listen with open hearts and protect them.

I write to voice my strong opposition to HB 988. I am the father of two elementary school aged children, both assigned female at birth. My older child - my daughter - identifies as female, and my younger child identifies as male - he is my son. While he always identified as male (since the age of 2), it was not until he was in first grade that he transitioned. His school has been extremely supportive of this transition, and has the guidance and tools needed for supporting him -- do not undo these lifelines for students, parents, teachers, and schools! Beside being against federal law, repeal of these policies goes against basic decency. My son uses the boys bathroom at school, he is able to go to the bathroom in peace, and has never encountered any problems since transitioning. Quite the contrary - when he was using the girls bathroom, older girls that did not know him would single him out, tell him he was in the wrong bathroom. He would resist going to the bathroom because of this. Banning transgender children from bathrooms and other facilities is discriminatory and is hurtful to a portion of our population that most desperately is in need of support. Please OPPOSE House Bill 988 to support all our children.

Comments Document

Submitting comments opposed to HB988

Trans youth face staggeringly high rates of bullying, violence / sexual assault, and suicide. Respecting their gender identity / personal pronouns greatly reduces their risk of suicide. Also, discrimination in public schools on the basis of gender identity violates Title IX and the Constitution, as demonstrated in Gavin Grimm’s successful case against the Gloucester School Board.

I am a teacher in Fairfax County and I am writing to urge you to oppose HB988. Every student deserves to feel safe, welcome, and respected in their school. The VDOE model policies outline for educators and school leaders how to ensure that transgender and gender-expansive students are afforded this basic right. A lot of concern has been raised about student mental health and well-being recently. Trans and gender-expansive students are significantly more likely than their peers to report mental health issues such as depression and suicidal ideation. Trans students frequently encounter stressors in school that undermine their identity including bullying, intentional dead-naming and mis-gendering and restricting their ability to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity. Mental health issues and suicide risk decrease when trans and gender-expansive students have a supportive trusted adult in their life and when their identity is affirmed by those around them such as using the correct name and pronouns when speaking about them. The model policies help us create a school environment where trans and gender-expansive student are affirmed and feel respected and valued. We must keep the requirement for schools in Virginia to follow these policies. Please vote no on this bill.

Vote YES on HB 988. The organization Gender Critical Women of Virginia, a growing collective of more than twenty women across the state, urges you to vote in support of HB 988. Sex-based rights exist as an acknowledgment that women, because of being female, are uniquely vulnerable to male violence. Males as a group have greater strength and greater stature. Almost all violent crime nationally, especially sexual, is committed by males. Girls go to school to learn and grow. They shouldn't have to worry about whether they will be safe in spaces that involve vulnerable states of undress like locker rooms and bathrooms. The safety, privacy, and dignity of girls and young women is not acceptable collateral damage under any circumstances. We fully believe that individual districts, school boards, parents, and teachers are capable of coming up with nuanced solutions to their specific and unique circumstances that will benefit not only some but all students, and they should be trusted to do so.

All students deserve the right to be respected. I advocate for allowing trans students the recognition that will help provide the necessary representation for their needs in schools. Please grant them the safety, consideration, and policies that will protect them.

HB486 no more quotas. HB789 pro this. HB844, we already have procedures covering this. HB988 we have requirements on this already, so yes. Pro 1023, we need this especially in VB I know its happening so this might help kids to prevent it. Thank you.

I am against this bill because being someone from the trans community debating against my rights when I am unprotected as it is having a bill against me is putting me more in danger

Please vote yes for HB988. It should be up to the schools and parents what they would like their community standards to be. Bills like HB145 do not take in to account the rights privacy and safety of women and girls- like how a "gender fluid" boy was able to sexually assault a female student in the women's bathroom at school in Loudoun County only for the crime to be swept under the rug and the male student transferred where he assaulted ANOTHER young girl. Women and girls have sex segregated spaces for a reason and young women and girls in school do not need another thing to worry about (like their physical safety) when they should be focusing on school. There is nothing wrong with not conforming to sex role stereotypes and no one should ever be bullied for being gender non conforming but schools also shouldn't be promoting gender ideology, telling kids they can be born in to the wrong body or that kids can change biological sex either. This has become a social contagion as can be seen in some of these other comments and the damage control that will need to be done in the future because of bills like HB145 is going to be devastating. Repealing HB145 isn't going to harm anyone, all its going to do is give the power back to parents and teachers to collectively decide for themselves which policies work for them and which ones don't. I think that is fair.

Plainly, the rights of girls in schools - rights to privacy, safety, and fair competition - are in danger. Across the country, we have seen numerous examples of policies designed to protect trans children that have, in reality, done real harm to natal girls, with the Loudon scandal being perhaps the most devastating. Girls are no longer free to change privately in their locker rooms , nor compete in sports, without accommodating trans students born with male sex organs and body structures. This is deeply wrong. Protections for trans students are necessary and valid - but they are not inherently more valuable than the safety and privacy of girls. I am a female, politically homeless academic who, like many women, is fearful of speaking in person today on the controversial topic of transgender accommodations. My job and reputation would be threatened if I dared to publicly state my opinion that the current modus operandi for gender politics in schools is dangerous for women and girls. So I ask you, please, consider how we have gotten to this point, and consider the real, present danger to vulnerable, young girls that poorly-enacted transgender policies pose. If a grown woman such as myself is afraid to speak, how afraid must girls across the country be, when joining in fundamental conversations about their rights? Please pass HB988. Thank you for considering my comment.

I oppose HB 988 as ALL children have a right to safe school environment that protects their identity and allows autonomy on self identity. VOTE NO on HB 988 and respect the Law as established last year to provide equal respect regardless of identity

I want to speak against this bill which would roll back protections for transgender students. As a teacher, I've seen how all kids thrive when their identities are respected and honored, and they know the adults in their lives see them, accept them, and expect great things from them. This is even more important when a student has an identity that has been marginalized or attacked as less - than. Trans students deserve what every student does - to feel safe at school and respected for who they know they are. Please remember that as you vote today.

Please vote NO on HB 988. All children, including transgender and nonbinary children have a right to a safe school environment that affirms and protects their identity. Children can't learn in an environment that doesn't provide safety. Vote NO on HB 988 and keep the model policies on the treatment of transgender children in place!

HB988- Vote NO on this bill. It is a big step backwards in the progress towards protection, empathy and compassion, greatly needed by transgender students, who have the highest rate of suicide of any group. HB1093-Vote NO on this bill. Cultural competency training is needed because teachers and students are citizens of the world. Understanding and embracing the richness of all cultures opens minds and builds empathy, inclusion and acceptance. It cannot be optional.

I want to speak against this bill which would roll back protections for transgender students. As a teacher, I've seen how all kids thrive when their identities are respected and honored, and they know the adults in their lives see them, accept them, and expect great things from them. This is even more important when a student has an identity that has been marginalized or attacked as less - than. Trans students deserve what every student does - to feel safe at school and respected for who they know they are. Please remember that as you vote today.

"Gender identity" is a faith based concept and we shouldn't have changes to policies to protect something faith based over something reality based like biological sex. I support the right of people to have mystical beliefs but I also support the right of people not believe and not participate in the faith based beliefs of others. People, especially children, need to understand the importance of boundaries, truth, and reality and we need to have policies that reflect those values. We need to protect the boundaries of women and children and we can't do that when we uphold the religious belief of gender identity that is based in destroying boundaries- even basic boundaries around basic words like male(s)/ boy(s)/ man/ men and female(s)/ girl(s)/ woman/ women. We need to stop enshrining faith based beliefs into policies that infringe on the rights of non-believers.

Support An entire student body should jot be subject to a few students. Bathrooms should be male or female. Pronouns should be he/him or she/her. If a student doesn't not want to use the changing room/rest room of their gender/sex then arrangements can be made to accommodate the person with a single bathroom for use (single bathroom in the nurses office or even individual faculty restroom). Teaching children the false narrative that there are more than two genders or sexes is morally wrong.

Transgender students are being targeted. It is essential that we continue to require schools to have a model policy in place to protect students. This policy literally saves lives. I ask that you do not support this disgusting attempt to remove essential protections from transgender students.

It is with the strongest possible language that I urge you to vote against this bill overturning previous progress in defense of our transgender and gender-expansive students. Allowing this bill to pass would put Virginia on the wrong side of history on this important issue. Our children are watching to see how the most vulnerable are treated. They will judge us harshly for abandoning students marginalized because of their gender identity.

I have lived in Virginia most of my life and I am writing in support of HB 988 because it is the right thing to do for girls and young women across Virginia. Unfortunately, because of their female sex, women and girls are at risk of male violence throughout their lives. Just as women must have the right as individuals to consent to or say no to sexual contact, so must women as a class have the right to say no to males in female-only spaces. It's a matter of consent and safety. Girls are people too, and the decisions about who enters spaces where they are vulnerable should not be made by the government. I hope you will all vote in support of HB 988 and show girls across Virginia that their rights, privacy, and safety matter.

I 100% support this bill to protect women and girl's safety and privacy. Please end this madness. Protect women's rights.

Bill HB988 states that will take away mandatory trans protections. These protections are important as trans youth are targets of bullying and assault in schools by their peers. People in the trans community face more discrimination and violence compared to others in the LGBT community. In 2021, violence against trans people, mainly trans POC, increased exponentially, their cases being given 0 media attention and not being investigated by police. Trans people deserve protection. That alone shouldn’t be questioned. Trans people are human, just like the rest of the world. And they deserve protection, and their lives matter so much more than we want to believe.

I was proud to be a Virginian when the model policies came into effect. Our trans kids need support and our school staff need to know how to provide the support. Please vote against this bill. It would be a huge step backwards to vote for it. Thank you for hearing my views. -Marianne Vakiener

I am a resident of a Richmond, VA and a proud transgender Virginian who went to school in Fairfax County Public Schools. I know I would have felt safer and more accepted in my teenage years if I had known that my school district had policies actively in place to ensure that all students, including trans and nonbinary students, had the right to an equal education. Right now, trans students are sidelined, ignored, or made to feel like a problem by school administrators who are often trying their best but without the guidance necessary to treat trans and nonbinary students equally. This results in trans students experiencing humiliation, feelings of rejection, and much more that can and does lead to serious mental health issues and puts them at higher risk of bullying by their peers. Since the school district doesn't seem to even support trans youth, why should their peers after all? The policies developed by the Department of Education in 2020 and slated for adoption this past fall will save lives and ensure that trans students are able to navigate their schools on equal footing to their peers. In fact, these policies ensure all students have an even playing ground. Stigmatizing any group of youth inherently leads to a more unsafe environment for everyone, and puts everyone under the microscope if they aren't seen as the "norm." These policies were designed with input from parents, educators, students, and advocates and they are based in scientific understanding. I urge you to vote against HB 998 to keep our current progress and ensure all youth are treated with dignity and compassion in our Commonwealth's public schools.

APC supports HB988. While we were unable to stop the Arlington County school board from adopting the unsafe and unfounded "model policies in support of transgender students" ahead of the Virginia department of Education. we firmly support the rights of all parents and their dually elected school boards, to determine what is best for the individual student and his/her family. We support the right of each school district to decide how best to meet the needs of ALL students. The currently adopted "model policies" in question, do not respect the God-given rights of parents to determine what is best for their child, nor do they protect the rights of girls to have private and safe spaces and to be able to participate in all-girls sports, as defined by biology--which is unchanging. The current "model policy" drives a wedge between parents and the school educators, between parents and their children, and even between children and their own biological bodies. This is unacceptable and we hope that what was unjust, and irrational can and will be undone and restored to the proper balance between parent, child and educators. Thank you.

Comments Document

Good afternoon, chairperson and members of the subcommittee. My name is Emily Hulette, I live in Hanover County, and I am a mother of a transgender child. I am writing today to ask you to oppose HB988. My daughter needs to feel safe and accepted in her school like her cisgender friends. NB988 was written without truly knowing a transgender person or having a transgender person in their family, if they had, I believe this bill never would have been written. Transgender students are everywhere, small towns, big towns, progressive towns and conservative towns. Transgender children having conservative families, liberal families, and even religious families. My daughter should be allowed a respectful, safe, and inclusive educational environment. The staff and teachers at her school have been so supportive of her but need training and education on how to truly support trans youth. Part of accepting trans youth is allowing them to use the restroom they identify with. My daughter uses the clinic restroom which is located on the first floor of her school. She feels different, ashamed and the act of using the bathroom at school is extremely stressful. Not only does she have to be with sick students to use the bathroom, but she is also inadvertently providing to her peers her personal information when they ask why she's going to clinic instead of using the girls room. She does not feel safe using the male restroom because of the bullying and harassment she's endured, even being held against her will. My daughter sees a therapist regularly to help with the bullying and bathroom situation at school, I believe if the VDOE policy would be adopted by all school boards, you would see many mentally healthier children. Allowing the model policies to be optional for school districts puts them in jeopardy of law suits and in violation of federal Title IX precedent set by the Gavin Grim/Glouster County case. Thank you for your time.

Support 988

My Transgender son is loving, caring and a respectful human being. For the past year, we have struggled to keep him afloat. My son has severe depression/anxiety, gender dysphoria and was contemplating suicide. I am relieved to say that we have kept him safe thanks to the help of our amazing community and wonderful therapists. Factors such as the pandemic and mental health have kept my son in virtual school. My son has progressed immensely, he is looking forward to go back to school in person this fall 2022, He will be a Junior in high-school. We have worked so hard to get him well to this point. It is so heartbreaking to read this bill. The bill HB988 is designed to destroy all that hard work us parents of Transgender Kids have accomplished. These are kids that also deserve the respect and human kindness that all other cis kids have. Transgender kids are human beings too. Let's keep our schools a safe and thriving place for all kids. Thank you for your time.

Comments Document

I am writing in opposition to HB 988. • My son is a transgender middle schooler in Hanover County, where they have not yet adopted a full transgender policy. • My son is a rule follower and currently there are NO rules that indicate how he should use the restroom at school; consequently, he avoids using the restroom at all. He reports that he has only been 3 times total this academic year so far. • I am telling you without hyperbole that this experience impacts both his physical and mental health, as you may imagine. The SAFETY and HEALTH of transgender children are MORE important than the comfort of people who do not understand transgender people who are in NO credible danger around transgender people. • Further the lack of a full transgender policy promotes a school environment where bullying against transgender children festers. • REJECTING HB 988 will mean that my school district will be compelled to continue to work toward an inclusive school climate for my child. • Finally, there are dozens of families like mine in Hanover and even more across Virginia, with transgender children. We are stressed and exhausted from fighting for our kids. And many of us fear for our safety in speaking out. Just the IDEA of bills like HB 988 and HB 1126 threaten us. Please allow our children to live with dignity. Thank you very much.

I strongly do not support this bill as it puts trans and nonbinary youth at risk in our education system. Schools should be a safe space for students to learn and passing this bill would ensure that schools are not safe for students.

Targeting ANY child is abhorrent . Educating a child is what educators should be doing, regardless of what equipment is in their underwear. We have gone from shoulder exposure being offensive and/or disruptive to the learning/teaching process to deciding what name to call a child, how they feel about themselves and what they have in their pants. THAT is not part of any education process (teaching OR learning ) that I can wrap my head around. These children are HERE. Let's keep it that way. YOU SEE THEM, I SEE THEM and they see themselves.....quite different than what you read about in a BIBLE, where NO ONE can see anything at all. WHY? BECAUSE NO ONE I KNOW OR YOUR KNOW were there But this is a little different. We are here. The kids are here. And we want to KEEP them here. SHAME on anyone who thinks they are that HOLY to decide what a child should be referred to as.

Please vote yes to these bills. Parents should have school choice. There should be resource officers in all schools. The transgender policies should be repealed as it is a safety issue as seen in Loudoun county.

Comments Document

I am submitting a letter stating my opposition to the bill HB988. Thank you.

I totally support HB988! I am a mother of 3 boys who attended Arlington Public Schools until it became increasingly uncofortable to share bathrooms, hotel rooms, and other facilities designed for privacy with biological girls who chose to think that they are boys for whatever reason. There is also a danger for girls being assaulted by boys wearing skirts like what happened in Loudoun County. And finally, here is a statement from the American College of Pediatricians: Human sexuality is an objective biological binary trait: “XY” and “XX” [speaking of chromosomal identity] are genetic markers of health – not genetic markers of a disorder. Everyone is born with a biological sex. Gender (an awareness and sense of oneself as male or female) is a sociological and psychological concept; not an objective biological one. A person’s belief that he or she is something they are not is, at best, a sign of confused thinking. I refuse to send my children to schools that disregard science and compel them to use names and pronouns that do not correspond to the biological sex of some students. I, therefore, took my youngest son out of APS and placed him in a private Catholic school.

I am writing to ask you to vote "NO" on House Bill 988. Transgender children are first and foremost children. And like all children, they should be able to attend school, get an education, and participate in activities in an affirming, supportive, safe, and respectful environment. The good news is that Virginia has policies that do just that. The current Virginia Department of Education's Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students help create a positive and affirming environment for all students. They enable transgender children to enjoy the same opportunities as other children, allowing them to flourish and achieve their full potential. And I think we can all agree that's something we want for every child in Virginia. Unfortunately, HB 988 would undo these policies. This bill would remove the requirement for school boards to adopt policies that align with the VDOE model policies. It would also ban transgender children from bathrooms and other facilities, which is both contrary to basic decency and established federal law. Transgender and nonbinary students subject to a harsh and unsupportive school environment are more likely to experience mental health struggles, including anxiety, depression, and suicidality. Trans-affirming policies literally save kids’ lives. Transgender children are not a problem to be solved, or a challenge to be addressed. They are children, who simply want to go to school and not have to worry about being marginalized, stigmatized, or isolated. They are certainly worthy of the same respect, safety, and support as all other children. Please OPPOSE House Bill 988 so that we can make sure our schools are safe places for all children to grow and thrive. Thank you for your consideration. - Diana Maurer Alexandria VA

HB 988 is a good bill and should be supported. HB 145 (2020) is a large part of the reason why a "genderfluid" male student in a skirt was able to access the girls' bathrooms at a local high school in Ashburn, where he sodomized his unwilling victim on May 28, 2021. Last week, Senate Democrats argued that passing a law to require parental permission before exposing students to porn was "micromanaging" local schools' libraries, AND YET they had no problem with the top-down mandate of HB 145 on the Virginia Department of Education to create a model policy for transgender-identified students that local school boards would be required to follow . . . to the detriment of the safety and privacy of female students, of course. The hypocrisy is not surprising--Democrats consistently support policies that put students at risk for being victims of sexual grooming, voyeurism, exhibitionism, and sexual assault while claiming it is necessary in the name of tolerance. It's time to undo the damage that previous legislature have wreaked on Virginia's educational system. Do the right thing--support HB 988.

Parents of transgender kids don't have it easy. It's painful to watch your kid not be allowed to be who they are. It's scary knowing how high the suicide rate is among these kids who are rejected - or worse, made to feel invisible. If you're a parent you know it's impossible to ignore someone treating your kid that way. Give them a break. Thank you.

My name is Sarah Huber, and I live in Williamsburg, VA, and I oppose HB 988. I have two children, an 11 year old daughter and a 7 year old transgender son. Since my son was two years old he has pointed to images of boys in picture books and said, “That’s me.” What we thought was a cute tomboy phase, has never stopped. Over the past five years he has consistently, persistently, and insistently identified himself as a boy. When he began in-person school for the first time this year, he started as a girl. I was scared about how he would be treated if entered school as a transgender boy. However, as the months progressed he would sort himself into the boys group, and in November we were informed that he was using the boys restroom. The school asked us how we wanted to proceed regarding our child. I had absolutely no idea what to do. I clearly had a child who identified as a boy, who was determined to live as a boy, but I did not know the first thing to do. Our son is the first child in our elementary school that identified as transgender. His teacher, the administration, and our family were so thankful that the school division had been required by law to adopt the VDOE Model Practices for transgendered students. We had at our fingertips evidence-based, scientifically supported guidelines for how to proceed in the classroom. It was a lifeline for his teachers, for school administrators, and for us. By removing the requirement of schools to adopt the VDOE Model Policies for Transgendered Student, you are not solving a problem, but rather creating one. You will be leaving parents without a crucial resource. You will be leaving teachers and administrators without a guide on how to best support and teach our children. And you will potentially be creating an unjust and unsafe environment for our children. Because my school followed the model practices put forth by the DOE, our child is a happy, thriving first grader. Because my school supported our family, we are thriving. And I ask that our delegates do their best to provide educational policies that supports all of our children.

Comments Document

Mr. Wyatt, Tanner and I are your neighbors, we are conservatives and we voted for you. We moved to Hanover 9 years ago for the great public education our children would receive. We are taxpayers whose children deserve a safe, equitable, and inclusive education. We have two children a son and (AMAB=Assigned male at birth) transgender daughter. William, my first son is all boy. Guns, woods, dirt bikes, race cars. Having my second child AMAB, April got all the hand me down boy clothes and boy toys. We began noticing at the age of two she really didn't play with the boy toys at all. We'd take her to the store, and she always gravitated to the girl-colored toys, girl-colored clothes and always played with girls in preschool...rarely the boys. We thought it was a phase as any parent would. We knew she wasn't the typical boy but knew it wasn't a big deal, because she's our child and as a parent you love them no matter what. As the years went by her interests in girl items and only having girlfriends grew. She entered elementary school with a pink backpack of her choice and pick sneakers. She would have her girl pajamas in the evening, because she was safe to wear them at home. We were fortunate to have very understanding friends. Her 1st grade year she came home and said I want to wear girl clothes to school. I froze, I was terrified for her safety. That night and many nights later she would ask me over and over, "Mommy, when I die can I be a girl?" I crumbled inside. I now have to mourn the death of a son but embrace the girl I now have. I researched online and began to educate myself about children with gender dysphoria. She checked all the boxes. We let her wear girl clothes to school her second-grade year and that child had never been happier. When you see your child in pain for years and not know why, then you come to terms with who she wants to be and the smile and happiness it gave her, you know as a parent you're doing the right thing. We all began seeing a therapist who could help us navigate this with us because this chapter is not in the book "What to Expect, When You're Expecting" We are learning and growing every day with April. She has taught us to be better humans. She didn't ask to live an extremely difficult life, she didn't ask us to battle for human rights every day, she didn't ask to be different, she was born this way. She's done nothing wrong but live her true self. I'm hopeful with the support of family she will continue to live her true self. But that's only one component to making sure she lives a happy life. She is bullied on a weekly basis for being who she is at school. She is made to feel different because her bathroom, is in the clinic. The male bathroom is not safe for her. In first grade she was harassed numerous times, students tried to hold her from leaving just to make fun of her. Most days she holds her pee, so she doesn't have to answer questions from peers on where she's going and why she goes to clinic. Every day our school is told to break the law by the Hanover County School Board by not adopting the model policies for transgender students. If you walked one day in my shoes you would understand how important adopting this policy is and following law. Removing it, you will have blood on your hands. Trans student will continue to kill themselves; you can help stop that! See the attached, only two months of school issues...I have more! Be the change!

Due to legislation passed by the General Assembly, school boards across Virginia adopted evidence-based practices to address many issues that transgender students face, including bullying and harassment, unfair dress code, and limited access to facilities. HB988 would roll back these protections and make discrimination against transgender students easier. We need to make our schools safer and more inclusive of all students, not roll back good progress. Please vote NO on HB988 and it’s senate companion bill, SB20.

I am writing to oppose HB988 and HB1126. Trans kids are among the most vulnerable in our society and in our schools. As a Christian clergyperson and as a citizen, I care about the well-being of every student. The state VDOE policies ensure consistency and ensure that the well being of our trans students does not rest in the hope that every local school board will have members who understand the needs and rights of trans students. Please do not pass HB988 or HB1126.

HB 988 would continue to negatively impact my child's experience in schools. He is in a school district that does not want to adopt full policies for inclusion of transgender children. My child is suffering because of his school's choice. Using the restrooms is a huge stressor for him, and he is regularly outed by a system that has not provided admins and teachers with proper training on how to work with transgender kids. Allowing school districts to decide if they will adopt the policies, would mean that my child's school district will continue to marginalize and harm him. HB 1126 is unreasonable and unconstitutional. It would be traumatizing, not only to transgender people, but also to the people you think you are protecting. Believe me, you DO NOT WANT people using the facilities of their biological gender. It's as if you've never met a transgender person before if you think this is a remotely good idea. Further, HB1126's vague and loose definition of "concerning content" is too broad and can be interpreted as a matter of opinion. I already know that my child's school considers LGBT content to be "concerning" and would get rid of it if they could, and they are already trying. And my child so despirately needs to know that he's a real valid person and there are others like him. And others in his school should also know that who his is is valid. It's okay for people to be different. School is precisely the place where students should be learning about new content.

To Whom It May Concern, Thank you for the opportunity to comment on HB 1034. As a public high school school teacher and parent of two young children (ages 5 and 2) in Virginia, I have serious concerns that this bill will wind up doing more harm than good for the children of our state. I have worked in two different public school systems in Virginia over 13 years, and I have seen first hand how beneficial counseling services can be to a wide variety of students. If parents are allowed to prohibit their students from accessing counseling services in the school, these students may be cut off from not only critical mental health support, but but also the academic, career, and community support that school counselors and mental health team members provide. All members of a school mental health team must undergo rigorous education before obtaining their licenses, and as such they should be trusted as the professionals they are to provide only services that they deem necessary for students well-being. I strongly urge you to let the trained mental health professionals do their jobs. Don't make students get tied in the mire of adult squibbles. Thank you, Sara Watkins Mother Teacher Concerned Virginia Citizen

To Whom It May Concern, Thank you for the opportunity to comment on HB HB1032. As a public high school school teacher and parent of two young children (ages 5 and 2) in Virginia, I have serious concerns that this bill will wind up doing more harm than good for the children of our state. As VA Senator Peterson said on January 27 of this year, regarding a similar bill, "I don't think we should be involved in micromanaging school libraries...The problem is that you’re going to sweep up books that you don’t intend to sweep up" (Matthew Barakat, abcnews.go.com). I strongly urge you to leave the books in the libraries for the kids. They deserve to have the opportunity to decide with their own parents and personal support systems what books to read. Thank you, Sara Watkins Mother Teacher Concerned Virginia Citizen

Please pass HB217. Moe can be done to encourage and educate students about opportunities in STEM-C fields and to make sure that educational opportunities in our schools are adequately supporting students pursuing these goals. Identifying the full range of employment opportunities in these areas and the education needed to succeed in them can only be a benefit. Please pass HB221. Please oppose HB344. The establishment of charter schools should remain with local school boards who are accountable to their constituents. Members of the State Board of Education are appointed and consequently are accountable only to those who appointed them. Also, this bill provides that there is no longer the opportunity to revisit the decisions of this State or local boards in granting or continuing such charter. The public should not lose a mechanism of redress already in place. Please oppose HB346. The establishment of charter schools should remain with local school boards who are accountable to their constituents. Extending the establishment of charter and lab schools to private institutions of higher ed and private businesses further removes the oversight of such schools to boards that have no accountability to the public that they serve. Please oppose HB356. The establishment of charter schools should remain with local school boards who are accountable to their constituents. Please oppose HB486. Governor's School admissions should not be constricted by an arbitrary quota of students from one district. Please oppose HB563. While assisting local districts in funding construction where school buildings are in disrepair is a desirable goal, the diversion of funds allocated for instruction should not be institutionalized as a regular mechanism to accomplish this. Please pass HB585. Standardized testing has become the tail that wags the dog in education. Increasing amounts of time are dedicated to teaching towards the test and administering tests to the detriment of education tailored to the needs of students and localities. Reducing such testing the minimum required for federal accountability would free time and resources to more fully meet the needs of students. Please oppose 789. Family life education should remain an opt out program instead of an opt in program. The latter puts an onerous burden on schools for the delivery of this important curriculum. Please oppose HB988. Transgender students deserve equal protection in schools across the Commonwealth. All school districts should maintain certain expectations in this regard. Please pass HB994 Please pass HB1005. This bill stipulates that teachers under continuing contract can resign within the school year but must do so providing 2 weeks of notice. Such a provision provides more time for local school districts to make arrangements for staffing adjustments. Please pass HB1023. Human trafficking is increasingly a problem in the Commonwealth and beyond. Our students should be alert to its threats and educated as to how to protect themselves from it. Please pass HB1026. With technology and the internet playing an increasing role in every aspect of our lives, expanding our understanding of this role and improving education surrounding it can only be a good thing. Please pass HB1299. Our students need as much information as possible about their opportunities after graduating from our public school system.

1. parents should be allowed to make decisions for their own children about masks AND about which school to use to educate their children. give us funds so we can send our children to the school of our choice. 2. parents should be allowed to opt their children out of sex education. 3. quit teaching CRT to our children.

I am a teacher in Fairfax County and I am urging to you to support HB 1005. This bill would allow teachers to resign from a current contract with 2-weeks notice. Currently, any teacher wishing to resign who doesn't turn in the paperwork by June 15th is locked into their contract for the full following school year. I have seen colleagues needing to leave their position for various valid reasons who have asked if it would be possible to resign mid-year and what the consequences would be. The answer is that they would be resigning in bad standing which usually means they are blocked from taking on any education job in our district or neighboring districts for at least 3 years. The school board could even request that the teacher's license be revoked for leaving mid-year. While it's ideal for teachers to see through a full school year, there are many legitimate reasons a teacher would have to leave mid-year. Resigning with 2-weeks notice is the standard in any other field and educators deserve the same courtesy. Please support this bill.

I am a teacher in FCPS, and I personally support all of this bills. All of these bills are also part of Virginia Education Association's list of bills to support.

To Whom It May Concern, Thank you for the opportunity to comment on HB 1034. As a public high school school teacher and parent of two young children (ages 5 and 2) in Virginia, I have serious concerns that this bill will wind up doing more harm than good for the children of our state. I have worked in two different public school systems in Virginia over 13 years, and I have seen first hand how beneficial counseling services can be to a wide variety of students. If parents are allowed to prohibit their students from accessing counseling services in the school, these students may be cut off from not only critical mental health support, but but also the academic, career, and community support that school counselors and mental health team members provide. All members of a school mental health team must undergo rigorous education before obtaining their licenses, and as such they should be trusted as the professionals they are to provide only services that they deem necessary for students well-being. I strongly urge you to let the trained mental health professionals do their jobs. Don't make students get tied in the mire of adult squibbles. Thank you, Sara Watkins Mother Teacher Concerned Virginia Citizen

To Whom It May Concern, Thank you for the opportunity to comment on HB HB1032. As a public high school school teacher and parent of two young children (ages 5 and 2) in Virginia, I have serious concerns that this bill will wind up doing more harm than good for the children of our state. As VA Senator Peterson said on January 27 of this year, regarding a similar bill, "I don't think we should be involved in micromanaging school libraries...The problem is that you’re going to sweep up books that you don’t intend to sweep up" (Matthew Barakat, abcnews.go.com). I strongly urge you to leave the books in the libraries for the kids. They deserve to have the opportunity to decide with their own parents and personal support systems what books to read. Thank you, Sara Watkins Mother Teacher Concerned Virginia Citizen

Please pass HB217. Moe can be done to encourage and educate students about opportunities in STEM-C fields and to make sure that educational opportunities in our schools are adequately supporting students pursuing these goals. Identifying the full range of employment opportunities in these areas and the education needed to succeed in them can only be a benefit. Please pass HB221. Please oppose HB344. The establishment of charter schools should remain with local school boards who are accountable to their constituents. Members of the State Board of Education are appointed and consequently are accountable only to those who appointed them. Also, this bill provides that there is no longer the opportunity to revisit the decisions of this State or local boards in granting or continuing such charter. The public should not lose a mechanism of redress already in place. Please oppose HB346. The establishment of charter schools should remain with local school boards who are accountable to their constituents. Extending the establishment of charter and lab schools to private institutions of higher ed and private businesses further removes the oversight of such schools to boards that have no accountability to the public that they serve. Please oppose HB356. The establishment of charter schools should remain with local school boards who are accountable to their constituents. Please oppose HB486. Governor's School admissions should not be constricted by an arbitrary quota of students from one district. Please oppose HB563. While assisting local districts in funding construction where school buildings are in disrepair is a desirable goal, the diversion of funds allocated for instruction should not be institutionalized as a regular mechanism to accomplish this. Please pass HB585. Standardized testing has become the tail that wags the dog in education. Increasing amounts of time are dedicated to teaching towards the test and administering tests to the detriment of education tailored to the needs of students and localities. Reducing such testing the minimum required for federal accountability would free time and resources to more fully meet the needs of students. Please oppose 789. Family life education should remain an opt out program instead of an opt in program. The latter puts an onerous burden on schools for the delivery of this important curriculum. Please oppose HB988. Transgender students deserve equal protection in schools across the Commonwealth. All school districts should maintain certain expectations in this regard. Please pass HB994 Please pass HB1005. This bill stipulates that teachers under continuing contract can resign within the school year but must do so providing 2 weeks of notice. Such a provision provides more time for local school districts to make arrangements for staffing adjustments. Please pass HB1023. Human trafficking is increasingly a problem in the Commonwealth and beyond. Our students should be alert to its threats and educated as to how to protect themselves from it. Please pass HB1026. With technology and the internet playing an increasing role in every aspect of our lives, expanding our understanding of this role and improving education surrounding it can only be a good thing. Please pass HB1299. Our students need as much information as possible about their opportunities after graduating from our public school system.

Please move to report HB344, HB346, HB356, HB789, HB1188, HB221, HB340, HB1125, HB1215, HB988, HB1023, HB1093. Please gently PBI HB486 so that academic merits ONLY decide who gets in.

Please support this bill. We cannot eradicate human trafficking but we can educate to prevent. Anti Trafficking International has created a curriculum for school division inserted in their FLE program. Some school system have benefited. Needs to be used by all school divisions in Virginia. I just recently discovered Fauquier is not utilizing at this time. Working on it. Thank you

I SUPPORT HB 844, 1023, 1026, and 1184. More comprehensive and accurate FLE curriculum is a positive development for the commonwealth. I SUPPORT HB 1184 both as a private citizen and 2nd generation immigrant as well as on behalf of my employer, Edu-Futuro, an organization that empowers immigrant families through education. Many, if not most, of the community Edu-Futuro serves speaks a language other than English, and HB 1184 would dramatically improve educational and career outcomes for the children of these communities. I OPPOSE HB 789 and 988. Transgender individual lives matter and again, FLE curriculum needs to be accurate and inclusive.

Virginia’s children deserve our best and highest response when they talk about their experiences of abuse.. A CAC is a child‐ focused, facility‐based program that utilizes an MDT approach to the investigation of child abuse cases. Representatives from the local CAC, law enforcement, child protective services, prosecution, mental health, medical, and victim advocacy work together, conducting child forensic interviews and making joint decisions about the investigation, treatment, management, and prosecution of child abuse cases. With this model, child abuse investigations remain child‐focused, and children are able to get the help they need to heal from the trauma of abuse CACVA supports HB 1023 in its effort to educate children relative to sexual abuse and the human trafficking of children.

HB486 no more quotas. HB789 pro this. HB844, we already have procedures covering this. HB988 we have requirements on this already, so yes. Pro 1023, we need this especially in VB I know its happening so this might help kids to prevent it. Thank you.

Thank you for this bill --- keep up the good work!

Please pass HB217. Moe can be done to encourage and educate students about opportunities in STEM-C fields and to make sure that educational opportunities in our schools are adequately supporting students pursuing these goals. Identifying the full range of employment opportunities in these areas and the education needed to succeed in them can only be a benefit. Please pass HB221. Please oppose HB344. The establishment of charter schools should remain with local school boards who are accountable to their constituents. Members of the State Board of Education are appointed and consequently are accountable only to those who appointed them. Also, this bill provides that there is no longer the opportunity to revisit the decisions of this State or local boards in granting or continuing such charter. The public should not lose a mechanism of redress already in place. Please oppose HB346. The establishment of charter schools should remain with local school boards who are accountable to their constituents. Extending the establishment of charter and lab schools to private institutions of higher ed and private businesses further removes the oversight of such schools to boards that have no accountability to the public that they serve. Please oppose HB356. The establishment of charter schools should remain with local school boards who are accountable to their constituents. Please oppose HB486. Governor's School admissions should not be constricted by an arbitrary quota of students from one district. Please oppose HB563. While assisting local districts in funding construction where school buildings are in disrepair is a desirable goal, the diversion of funds allocated for instruction should not be institutionalized as a regular mechanism to accomplish this. Please pass HB585. Standardized testing has become the tail that wags the dog in education. Increasing amounts of time are dedicated to teaching towards the test and administering tests to the detriment of education tailored to the needs of students and localities. Reducing such testing the minimum required for federal accountability would free time and resources to more fully meet the needs of students. Please oppose 789. Family life education should remain an opt out program instead of an opt in program. The latter puts an onerous burden on schools for the delivery of this important curriculum. Please oppose HB988. Transgender students deserve equal protection in schools across the Commonwealth. All school districts should maintain certain expectations in this regard. Please pass HB994 Please pass HB1005. This bill stipulates that teachers under continuing contract can resign within the school year but must do so providing 2 weeks of notice. Such a provision provides more time for local school districts to make arrangements for staffing adjustments. Please pass HB1023. Human trafficking is increasingly a problem in the Commonwealth and beyond. Our students should be alert to its threats and educated as to how to protect themselves from it. Please pass HB1026. With technology and the internet playing an increasing role in every aspect of our lives, expanding our understanding of this role and improving education surrounding it can only be a good thing. Please pass HB1299. Our students need as much information as possible about their opportunities after graduating from our public school system.

I support this bill and encourage the General Assembly to take measures to protect student data privacy.

I SUPPORT HB 844, 1023, 1026, and 1184. More comprehensive and accurate FLE curriculum is a positive development for the commonwealth. I SUPPORT HB 1184 both as a private citizen and 2nd generation immigrant as well as on behalf of my employer, Edu-Futuro, an organization that empowers immigrant families through education. Many, if not most, of the community Edu-Futuro serves speaks a language other than English, and HB 1184 would dramatically improve educational and career outcomes for the children of these communities. I OPPOSE HB 789 and 988. Transgender individual lives matter and again, FLE curriculum needs to be accurate and inclusive.

To Whom It May Concern, Thank you for the opportunity to comment on HB 1034. As a public high school school teacher and parent of two young children (ages 5 and 2) in Virginia, I have serious concerns that this bill will wind up doing more harm than good for the children of our state. I have worked in two different public school systems in Virginia over 13 years, and I have seen first hand how beneficial counseling services can be to a wide variety of students. If parents are allowed to prohibit their students from accessing counseling services in the school, these students may be cut off from not only critical mental health support, but but also the academic, career, and community support that school counselors and mental health team members provide. All members of a school mental health team must undergo rigorous education before obtaining their licenses, and as such they should be trusted as the professionals they are to provide only services that they deem necessary for students well-being. I strongly urge you to let the trained mental health professionals do their jobs. Don't make students get tied in the mire of adult squibbles. Thank you, Sara Watkins Mother Teacher Concerned Virginia Citizen

To Whom It May Concern, Thank you for the opportunity to comment on HB HB1032. As a public high school school teacher and parent of two young children (ages 5 and 2) in Virginia, I have serious concerns that this bill will wind up doing more harm than good for the children of our state. As VA Senator Peterson said on January 27 of this year, regarding a similar bill, "I don't think we should be involved in micromanaging school libraries...The problem is that you’re going to sweep up books that you don’t intend to sweep up" (Matthew Barakat, abcnews.go.com). I strongly urge you to leave the books in the libraries for the kids. They deserve to have the opportunity to decide with their own parents and personal support systems what books to read. Thank you, Sara Watkins Mother Teacher Concerned Virginia Citizen

Please move to report HB344, HB346, HB356, HB789, HB1188, HB221, HB340, HB1125, HB1215, HB988, HB1023, HB1093. Please gently PBI HB486 so that academic merits ONLY decide who gets in.

Both I (a public school teacher in Fairfax County) and the Virginia Education Association OPPOSE HB 1093. This bill is proposing that several amendments are made to 22.1-253.13:5 and 22.1-298.7 of the Code of Virginia, such that the cultural competency training part of teacher, principal, and superintendent evaluations is OPTIONAL rather than required. As I teacher, I know to hold the highest expectations of all my students and to NEVER lower the rigor. Removing the requirement of cultural competency training is the antithesis of the movement to employ highly effective educators. How can I and others be effective with lower standards?

As a public school teacher I support this bill to end such a horrendous law against students and teachers. Thank you.

I support this bill to make Culturally Responsive Training optional for teachers. Our teachers have varying opinions and backgrounds - forcing them to not only attend this training but to adhere to and agree to this training - is not appropriate for any one this day and age. If we want diversity in our schools - it begins with diversity in learning and teaching from different backgrounds and beliefs. I strongly support this bill and hope you will too. Allow our teachers their opinion and varying beliefs so we can promote critical thinking skills rather than group think in our schools.

Please pass this bill to make this training optional. Keep politics and controversial topics out of schools.

Please vote NO on HB1093 Absolutely NO on CRI!!!! Everything about this is wrong and will hurt our children. If you care about them no is the only way. CRI will devastate these kids.

I am in support of HB1093. Schools are meant to teach reading, writing, math, history, etc. I do not support indoctrinating our youth by teaching that one culture or race is better than the other, and that one is oppressed and one is the oppressor. Culturally responsive training is 100% Critical Race theory and should NOT be taught in schools.

I am a teacher in Fairfax County and I am writing to urge you to vote no on HB 1093. This bill removes the requirement that school boards train their staff in cultural competency. As educators, it is our duty to seek to better understand our students and how to serve them. Cultural competency training is one of the many strategies we have in place to help us achieve this. We cannot undo the equity progress we have made in the Commonwealth by making this training optional. Please oppose this bill.

I’m a Loudoun county mother of two students in the public school system. I do NOT support HB1093 as it gives the school board the ability to take away cultural competency training and evaluation. Cultural competency is currently required, as it should be. It is critical that we have educators and school board members who support equity and understand cultural differences. Our children deserve to be seen and supported. We need educators who value diversity and respect cultural differences. Please do not vote in favor of this bill; please put our children (and yours) in mind and vote to keep cultural competency as a statewide requirement so that each of child has a safe learning environment where they are embraced for being themselves.

HB988- Vote NO on this bill. It is a big step backwards in the progress towards protection, empathy and compassion, greatly needed by transgender students, who have the highest rate of suicide of any group. HB1093-Vote NO on this bill. Cultural competency training is needed because teachers and students are citizens of the world. Understanding and embracing the richness of all cultures opens minds and builds empathy, inclusion and acceptance. It cannot be optional.

Support. There is only one culture in this country. People need.to assimilate to this country, people just didn't change geography, they changed countries. Teachers should be there to help children assimilate, of course, and offer ENGLISH language classes to parents and students.

I choose to support optional training cultural competency. Parents choice should follow this bill just like what Governor Youngkin signed to allow parent choice of wearing masks at school. Schools are meant to teach reading writing math history etc. I feel cultural competency teaches things that are not equal to all race or ethnicities. We are a Christian based family that we teach how to treat others without dramatizing differences. I don’t want my child taught your criteria without my religious aspects attached. Since you have taken religion from the schools, this does makes your teachings acceptable in my household. We have gotten too worried about offending someone instead of standing up for what is right in Gods eyes. This is what our country was founded on. Slowly you are removing everything religion from the American people, you are removing patriotism, and infringing on my right as a parent to teach my child culture as I see fit! Thank you

I am writing in support of HB 1093,which is to remove the requirement for culturally responsive training for educators. This requirement as it stands now is that the training must be completed every two years. As an educator for over 30 years who has taught in Title 1 schools with students who are not predominately not Causasian, i do not support the indoctrination of our youth by teaching one culture is better than the other and other cultures are repressed. My students have been successful no matter the color of their skin. Students need to be taught to work hard and do their best to be successful. This culturally responsive training is another way to say critical race theory. Our job as educators is to donjust that educate the kids. Teach them how to read, write, become proficient in mathematics and learn about and from history. My job is not to teach them to hate each other. In all my over 30 years race has not been made an issue in any of my classrooms. I foster acceptance. Let us keep it that way.

I oppose this bill. Teachers need more training in mathematics instead of cultural competency.

Cultural competency training is compelled speech. It is a political theory that is masquerading as accepted public policy. It is not accepted public policy. Cultural competency, or culturally responsive education, is a bankrupt set of ideas that were laundered through the academy. Culturally responsive education is 100% grounded critical race theory. This is beyond dispute as affirmed on multiple occasions by its creator, Gloria Ladson-Billings herself. Here you can watch Ms. Ladson-Billings admit this in her own words that culturally responsive education is grounded in CRT: https://youtu.be/katwPTn-nhE Ms. Ladson-Billings was also a large player in establishing the Northam administration's Ed Equity initiative, which is also steeped in critical race, gender, and queer theories. Teachers should not be required to attend training that requires them to teach from these controversial and easily falsifiable political theories. Nor should these theories be used as the basis for any pedagogical approach here in the Commonwealth.

Dear Sirs, First, I appreciate the requirement that School Boards planning on implementing this training and accredidation do so only "but only after providing 30 days' advanced written notice of and holding a public hearing regarding the adoption and implementation of such policies." The nature of this training if done IAW the previous VDOE guidance would be to require teachers to demonstrate their fealty to a ideology developed by a series of avowed Marxists including Professor Gloria Ladson-Billings (See: https://youtu.be/katwPTn-nhE). One of the CRT advocates who provided instruction on the design of the CRT/Instruction program is Ms. Maria Burgos who recently admitted on a video that CRTeaching is based at least in part on Maxsim. Parents need a chance to have a discussion before this is implemented. The advocates of this program are all hard left progressives, and the designers are Critical Theory Adherents(neo-Marxists) (see: https://youtu.be/NuQgO667P6k) If I could improve this bill, it would be to require School Boards to have a hearing and or a Townhall to present the proposal to the public and to allow for a Q&A to explain the assumption and science that supports the proposal. The assumption that this is required is that Virginia and the SB jurisdictions are systemically racist. That is not true based on the facts from the Census and VDOE. There is about a 3% graduation rate difference between black and Caucasian children. In almost all cases n VA where black children do poorly, so do Caucasian children. This whole program is based on a lie that deserves to be exposed to parents.

To Whom It May Concern, Thank you for the opportunity to comment on HB 1034. As a public high school school teacher and parent of two young children (ages 5 and 2) in Virginia, I have serious concerns that this bill will wind up doing more harm than good for the children of our state. I have worked in two different public school systems in Virginia over 13 years, and I have seen first hand how beneficial counseling services can be to a wide variety of students. If parents are allowed to prohibit their students from accessing counseling services in the school, these students may be cut off from not only critical mental health support, but but also the academic, career, and community support that school counselors and mental health team members provide. All members of a school mental health team must undergo rigorous education before obtaining their licenses, and as such they should be trusted as the professionals they are to provide only services that they deem necessary for students well-being. I strongly urge you to let the trained mental health professionals do their jobs. Don't make students get tied in the mire of adult squibbles. Thank you, Sara Watkins Mother Teacher Concerned Virginia Citizen

To Whom It May Concern, Thank you for the opportunity to comment on HB HB1032. As a public high school school teacher and parent of two young children (ages 5 and 2) in Virginia, I have serious concerns that this bill will wind up doing more harm than good for the children of our state. As VA Senator Peterson said on January 27 of this year, regarding a similar bill, "I don't think we should be involved in micromanaging school libraries...The problem is that you’re going to sweep up books that you don’t intend to sweep up" (Matthew Barakat, abcnews.go.com). I strongly urge you to leave the books in the libraries for the kids. They deserve to have the opportunity to decide with their own parents and personal support systems what books to read. Thank you, Sara Watkins Mother Teacher Concerned Virginia Citizen

Both I (a public school teacher) and the Virginia Education Association OPPOSE HB 1129. The proposed amendments give too much power to the Chief Law-Enforcement Officer. Why should one individual (who is not even employed by the school district) have final say over approving school safety audits?

Our youth - and those who have dedicated their lives toward our childrens' education, development, and enrichment - are treasures in any community. They deserve thoughtful, collaborative, and interdependent coordination of protective resources to mitigate any foreseen risks they may encounter within their learning environment. Unfortunately, these populations are particularly vulnerable – due to societal trends to remove protective services (specifically police) from these environments and the high concentration of students and faculty in designated locations during predictable times. A fundamental tenant of leadership involves ensuring those charged with making critical performance decisions are granted both the authority and the responsibility to address challenges within their purview. When law enforcement executives are left out of the decision-making processes for risk mitigation and yet are expected to perform flawlessly in the face of a sudden threat / mass-casualty incident, the interests of those most impacted – our students and facility – are subordinated to unproductive and often baseless rhetoric. I see this bill as a solid starting point to compel interdependent cooperation between schools and public safety. This legislation shouldn't represent the end goal, but this starting point is essential in some jurisdictions within the Commonwealth. As such, I support the measure and encourage additional language for the inclusion of fire / life-safety and emergency management leadership. Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback and for your consideration of this perspective.

To Whom It May Concern, Thank you for the opportunity to comment on HB 1034. As a public high school school teacher and parent of two young children (ages 5 and 2) in Virginia, I have serious concerns that this bill will wind up doing more harm than good for the children of our state. I have worked in two different public school systems in Virginia over 13 years, and I have seen first hand how beneficial counseling services can be to a wide variety of students. If parents are allowed to prohibit their students from accessing counseling services in the school, these students may be cut off from not only critical mental health support, but but also the academic, career, and community support that school counselors and mental health team members provide. All members of a school mental health team must undergo rigorous education before obtaining their licenses, and as such they should be trusted as the professionals they are to provide only services that they deem necessary for students well-being. I strongly urge you to let the trained mental health professionals do their jobs. Don't make students get tied in the mire of adult squibbles. Thank you, Sara Watkins Mother Teacher Concerned Virginia Citizen

To Whom It May Concern, Thank you for the opportunity to comment on HB HB1032. As a public high school school teacher and parent of two young children (ages 5 and 2) in Virginia, I have serious concerns that this bill will wind up doing more harm than good for the children of our state. As VA Senator Peterson said on January 27 of this year, regarding a similar bill, "I don't think we should be involved in micromanaging school libraries...The problem is that you’re going to sweep up books that you don’t intend to sweep up" (Matthew Barakat, abcnews.go.com). I strongly urge you to leave the books in the libraries for the kids. They deserve to have the opportunity to decide with their own parents and personal support systems what books to read. Thank you, Sara Watkins Mother Teacher Concerned Virginia Citizen

Greetings, My name is Chlo'e Edwards with Voices for Virginia's Children where our mission is to improve the laws of Virginia's children, particularly those at the greatest disadvantage. We are supportive of the following bills: HB1184 (Guzman), HB582 (Roem), HB 629 (Roem), HB583 (Roem), HB 587 (Roem), HB649 (Carr). As of 2020, the number of children (0-17) and young adults (18-24) in Virginia is just above 2.6M, and yet, too many children struggle to meet their basic needs. Poverty rates in Virginia remain unchanged in the past decade. Additionally, barriers to access to services and resources still persist for families of diverse identities and that face unique challenges. Voices believes in creating just and fair futures for Virginia's children as we know that children are the future. In creasing access to services and supports for Virginia's children today to ensure they live, thrive, and survive, we are creating a brighter future tomorrow. We hope that it pleases the member of the committees to support these initiatives as there are

Virginia is the welcoming center for the thousands of immigrants and refugees as designated by our federal government. It is the price we pay by being so close to the national capital and having the second largest government work force in the USA. Over sixty thousand Afghan refugees were welcomed at Dulles airport as their first stop in their new home. Virginia boasts the ninth largest immigrant community in the United States. With a booming economy and growing technological factor it is a need for Virginia to accommodate new Americans in their pursuit of the American dream. Immersion by bridging support into English will let new Virginia residents know that they and their children are welcome here, and that they are deserving of that added support to acclimate the Virginia way of life.

I SUPPORT HB 844, 1023, 1026, and 1184. More comprehensive and accurate FLE curriculum is a positive development for the commonwealth. I SUPPORT HB 1184 both as a private citizen and 2nd generation immigrant as well as on behalf of my employer, Edu-Futuro, an organization that empowers immigrant families through education. Many, if not most, of the community Edu-Futuro serves speaks a language other than English, and HB 1184 would dramatically improve educational and career outcomes for the children of these communities. I OPPOSE HB 789 and 988. Transgender individual lives matter and again, FLE curriculum needs to be accurate and inclusive.

I am a teacher in Fairfax County and I urge you to support Delegate Guzman's bill, HB1184. This bill would increase staffing for teachers of English Learners at a ratio that takes into account the English proficiency of each student. These ratios align with the Virginia Board of Education's Standards of Quality. From the classroom perspective, it just makes sense that we would staff a lower student-to-teacher ratio for students at a WIDA Level 1 with emerging English skills while students who have mastered more of the language would need less support and could be staffed at a higher student-to-teacher ratio. Please help us to meet the needs of English Learners by voting yes on this bill.

Comments Document

Attached is a letter of support for HB 1184 submitted by the Virginia EL Supervisors’ Association (VESA).

Please move to report HB344, HB346, HB356, HB789, HB1188, HB221, HB340, HB1125, HB1215, HB988, HB1023, HB1093. Please gently PBI HB486 so that academic merits ONLY decide who gets in.

Students are essential stakeholders in education policy. I support HB1188.