Fairfax County Public Schools spokeswoman Julie Allen said in a statement Wednesday that the district has not yet received the lawsuit and cannot comment on the specific allegations. But she said the district's policies are consistent with federal and state anti-discrimination laws.
“FCPS remains committed to fostering a safe, supportive, welcoming and inclusive school environment for all students and staff,” Allen said. “Students who need or desire increased privacy when using bathrooms or locker rooms, regardless of the underlying reason, will be provided with reasonable accommodations, including access to single-occupancy facilities. It will be provided.”
The lawsuit is the latest in a series of lawsuits in recent years challenging policies set by Virginia schools about how transgender and gender nonconforming students are treated at school. It's also part of a wave of legislation targeting LGBTQ+ youth across the country in recent years.
In 2020, The Fairfax district has adopted policies that dictate, among other things, that students can use restrooms and locker rooms according to their gender identity. The school's student conduct handbook also states that students who maliciously misgender, omit their first name, or call a colleague by a name they no longer use may be subject to disciplinary action. .
lawsuit In a lawsuit filed this week in Fairfax Circuit Court, as a practicing Catholic, The student plaintiff said she did not believe that a person's gender could be changed and that the district's policy “violated her sincerely held religious beliefs” or that the student's name or It is unconstitutional because it puts people at risk of being disciplined for not using pronouns.It's even more It alleges the policy discriminates on the basis of religion by requiring students to use the school's single-use toilets to “enable them to practice their sincerely held religious beliefs.”
“Fairfax County Public Schools appears to believe that its policies and regulations can override the Virginia Constitution's protections from government discrimination based on religious beliefs, speech, sex, and religious beliefs.” said Ian Pryor, senior advisor at America First Legal. said in a statement. “It is long past time for FCPS to stop sacrificing students’ constitutional rights to implement a state-sanctioned ideology that demands compliance in speech, belief, and behavior.”
The Fairfax Policy was adopted after the Virginia General Assembly passed a law. Directed in 2020 The federal Department of Education calls for the guidance to be developed and include information, guidance, procedures and standards to address “common issues regarding transgender students in accordance with evidence-based best practices.” In 2021, Gov. Ralph Northam (D) announced the first set of model policies under this law. They called on schools to allow transgender students to use restrooms, locker rooms, and locker rooms that correspond to their gender identity. The policy also encourages teachers to accept students' gender identities and use pronouns.
At the time, conservative groups were suing to block implementation of the transgender guidelines. Around the same time, a Christian teacher in Loudoun County filed a lawsuit claiming that, given his beliefs, he should not be forced to refer to transgender students by their pronouns.
Governor Glenn Youngkin (Republican) took office last summer in 2022., It replaced Northam's policy with new guidance that places a new emphasis on “parental rights” and rolls back some protections. The new instructional policy will direct students to use school facilities that match their biological sex and make it difficult for students to change their name or pronouns at school.
Mr. Yonkin's exemplary policies came under severe criticism, leading to student strikes and threats of legal action. The policy was also praised by those who saw the guidelines as fulfilling the governor's campaign promise to protect parents' rights in education.
Some people question whether it is. Model policy from Youngkin's administration violated other prior protections, including the Virginia Human Rights Act and the ruling in the case of Gavin Grimm, who sued the school board for excluding him from the boys' restroom because he is transgender. did. The result is a patchwork of policies across the state.
Fairfax was one of the few school systems Choosing to reject Youngkin's policy outright, the district said it believes its current policy meets its requirements. The state and federal laws are moves praised by LGBTQ+ advocates in the county. Other districts have adopted the policy in full or in part, led by her ACLU of Virginia. File recently Two lawsuits allege the new policies violate the law and discriminate against LGBTQ+ youth.
Elsewhere in Northern Virginia, Loudoun County Public Schools, mired in political turmoil over transgender student policy in 2021, is still considering whether to adopt the Youngkin administration's model guidance.The Board of Education committee discussed the current situation. Last month, we announced the policy and the 2023 model policy. The district decided to seek more feedback from focus groups before revising the policy.
on wednesday, FCPS Pride, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, said in a statement: The Fairfax Board of Education and the district intend to contest the allegations in the lawsuit.
“Students should know that their teachers, educators, parents, guardians, and community members will protect them to the end,” the group said in a statement. “We will not tolerate the kind of overt online and in-person bullying of vulnerable children described in the lawsuit.”
