Conservatives stand up to Loudoun County School board over transgender student policy
Conservatives sounded off on school policies they say harmed children, at Tuesday's Loudoun County Public Schools board meeting.
Virginia parents with differing viewpoints sounded off on school policies they say harmed children at Tuesday's Loudoun County Public Schools board meeting.
One year ago, LCPS passed Policy 8040 to follow Virginia Department of Education guidelines put forth by the previous Democratic administration to protect transgender students. It requires employees to address students by their chosen "name and gender pronouns" and gives students access to the bathrooms, locker rooms and sports teams that match their gender identity. The decision sparked a backlash among parents, particularly because it did not require parents to be notified or approve of changes made to their child's gender identity.
Several parents came to the meeting Tuesday to demand schools comply with new guidelines released last month by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R., which says parents must sign off on changes to their child's gender identity and assures accommodations will be made. It also separates sports by biological sex.
"I implore you to adopt Gov. Youngkin's new Model Policy in place of existing Policy 8040. The fact that parents have to advocate and fight for their parental right is absolutely absurd," Michelle Warner, a mother of two Loudoun County students told the board.
Parents and educators spoke out in support or against a transgender student policy at school board meeting (Fox News Digital)
"LCPS seems to think they are better equipped to discuss sexuality, feelings, body image, morals and such over their own parents," she continued.
Another parent, Abbie Platt, urged the board to "honor" the new policies, after she tearfully shared how her young boys were forced to use the bathroom while "little girls" watched them last year. "There are obvious challenges with what happened last year… Do the right thing," she told the board.
Amy Paul read an excerpt from a novel she said was currently in six public elementary schools called "It Feels Good to be Yourself." She blasted the book as "propaganda" that "encourages" young children to question their gender.
Parents Clint and Erin Thomas likened the board to a "cult" who uses "disassociation from the family, love bombing and indoctrination" on children.
Signs in favor of Policy 8040 outside Loudoun County Public Schools. (Fox News Digital)
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"This board thinks you're part of the problem, which means they need to protect your child from you," he warned fellow Loudoun County parents.
Other parents and educators pushed back against these claims and urged the board to continue with Policy 8040.
Brenda Bengston, who taught in the Loudoun County Public School district for 31 years, said the parent movement was "all political" and had become a "training ground" for attracting media attention.
She defended the transgender policy to Fox News Digital, saying teachers had the students' best interest at heart. "We need to be interested in our students and not what we have as a bias, to bring it in with us," she said. The former teacher said her role was to "welcome" students, not question them.
Parents protesting in Loudoun County, Virginia, on June 22, 2021. (Reuters)
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Bengston said the rules were necessary because some students "don't feel like they can talk to their parents."
Fellow supporter and longtime Loudoun County resident Tammy Cummins agreed that not informing parents was the right move because "Some homes are not safe. Unfortunately some people feel that every parent is a good parent. But we know that is not true."
She shared about seeing abused children in her practice and recounted how she observed many homeless youth in the area were LGBTQ.
Cummins praised students for being "way ahead of their parents in accepting that transgender students are here to stay." She compared the treatment of transgender-identifying students to how "lesbian, bisexual and gay" students were treated "20, 30 years ago."
Protestors in support of transgender rights rally outside the Alabama State House in Montgomery, Ala., on Tuesday, March 30, 2021. (Jake Crandall/The Montgomery Advertiser via AP)
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Kerry Kidwell, a parent of two teenagers told the board that children are "young individuals not our property." She said Youngkin's guidelines would make school "less safe."
She warned about transgender kids being "emotionally abused" by their parents. "It's normal for parents to want their children to share with them, I certainly do, but let's trust the children who tell us that it's not safe to do so."
Loudoun County parent and executive director of Fight for Schools Ian Prior argued it wasn't the school's job to socially transition kids.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, he warned the next steps after socially transitioning were puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, mastectomies, surgery and other health issues. "For them to take parents out of that discussion, its extremely concerning and the government should not be in that role."
Canadian activist and father Chris Elston, better known as "Billboard Chris" because he travels across North America wearing signs protesting gender-affirming surgeries and puberty blockers for minors, also showed up at the LCPS meeting. He told Fox News Digital that this wasn't a political issue and that parents on both sides he speaks to don't want their kids "sterilized." He condemned the school board for trying to "hide" the issue from parents.
"We have to put a stop to this," Elston said. "What do we say to our kids when an adult wants to keep something secret from their mom and dad? For all of history we've known this as wrong. But now the schools are pushing this as policy? It's totally insane."
Loudoun County Public Schools Board (Fox News Digital)
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Elston argued that schools were pushing this "social contagion" on kids to not accept the body they were born in and likened it to abuse.
"What an abusive thing to say to a child, that they might be born in the wrong body because they might feel like a misfit right now… They are beautiful and perfect the way they are. That's the message of true acceptance," he said.
The school board has not indicated if they will follow the governor's guidance. When reached for comment, the LCPS board referred Fox News Digital to a statement on their website that read in part "LCPS is carefully considering the model policies and whether they require any changes to LCPS policies in order to comply with Federal and State law. LCPS wants to assure our families that we will continue to provide a learning environment that is safe, welcoming, affirming, and academically rigorous for all students, regardless of the impact of the 2022 Model Policies."
The school board has previously defied the Republican governor's orders when it came to mask mandates.
Parents against Policy 8040 were doubtful the board would comply with the governor's order.
"Governor Youngkin just passed new guidance telling the entire state of Virginia to stop doing this, but they're ignoring it, and they're going to keep hiding this from parents." Elston added, "They're not going to follow it."
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, right, signs HB473 sponsored by Del. David Bulova, D-Fairfax, left, in the conference room at the Capitol Wednesday March 2, 2022, in Richmond, Va. ((AP Photo/Steve Helber))
Clint Thomas stated, "I suspect this is going to be a continued board that rejects the governor's mandate. I suspect most counties in Virginia will actually comply with that just like they complied with Northam's guidelines earlier. So we're hoping that takes place."
He added, "But I'm expecting more lawsuits and more battle in that area."
Thomas, along with 11 other parents, are the plaintiffs in a lawsuit by America First Legal against the school board last June that demands transparency about how the transgender policy came to be.
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The Northern Virginia suburb about 30 miles outside Washington D.C. has been the home to several controversies in the past two years, including accusations they covered up a sexual assault by a boy wearing a skirt.
The parent protests across the nation over critical race theory, mask mandates, low academic standards, and equity and inclusion curriculum in schools, has garnered attention at the federal level.
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