A Virginia school board voted Wednesday to allow transgender individuals to participate in activities and sports that correspond to their gender identity, according to a statement by the school district.
Loudoun County Public Schools’ decision, based on a 7-2 vote on LCPS Policy 8040, was seen as a win for the LGBTQ community.
The school’s top priority, according to the Thursday statement, “is to foster the success of all students and ensure they feel safe, secure, accepted, and ready to learn at school.” The school district also promised that it would dutifully “continue to do its due diligence in creating that environment and remaining open and transparent with all LCPS partners, community members, and stakeholders.”
Beyond allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports, the policy also requires teachers to call students by their preferred pronouns and removes father-daughter dances.
One teacher in the county quit during the Wednesday board meeting, saying the policy is in direct conflict with her faith.
A woman who says she’s a Loudoun County teacher just broke into tears addressing the school board saying she would not honor the transgender pronoun policy because of her faith and she told the board she was quitting her job, right there on the spot. @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/GTPa2C0Twz
— Drew Wilder (@DrewWilderTV) August 11, 2021
Local controversy accompanied the policy’s drafting and subsequent passage, with parent and school board member Jeff Morse saying the policy was “not needed,” according to WDVM, a local CW affiliate. (RELATED: ‘A Dissenting Opinion Is Not Allowed’: Teacher Sobs As She Quits In Front Of School Board Over ‘Highly Politicized’ Agenda)
School board member Ian Serotkin said that those opposed to the policy, including Morse, should think “more of our gay and transgender students.”
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