The Loudoun County School Board (LCSB) announced Thursday that non-locals will be barred from public comment in its meetings beginning Sept. 28, the day of a planned rally, organized by the Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh, to protest the board’s transgender policies.
The new rules require participants to provide ID proving their status as a Loudoun County resident or business owner, an LCPS student or parent or guardian of an LCPS student, or an LCPS employee, a press release stated. LCPS also announced that seat spacing to avoid close contact will result in limited public seating at the Sept. 28 meeting. (RELATED: High School Reverses Decision To Block Students From Painting An American Flag For A Fundraiser)
Participants’ IDs will be checked at the door, according to LCPS spokesperson Wayde Byard, and non-locals will be allowed to come in after the local public comment session has ended.
When asked about the timing of the rule change, Byard told the Daily Caller that social media attention and rallies need to be “dealt with” so that LCPS can hear from citizens of Loudoun County.
“The School Board is making these changes in order to ensure that the voices of our parents and the LCPS community are heard rather than out-of-town agitators who would make Board meetings a platform for national politics or to enhance their own media profiles,” said LCPS Chair Brenda L. Sheridan, according to the press release.
LCPS voted Aug. 12 to require teachers to call students by their preferred pronouns and to allow transgender students to participate in activities and sports that correspond to their gender identity.
Matt Walsh, a Daily Wire host and organizer of the protest, said Friday the school board “can’t stop us. We’re speaking out against indoctrination and abuse of children.”
Loudoun County changed the rules at the last minute to prevent me from speaking at the school board meeting on Tuesday but we’ll still be rallying outside at 4. They can’t stop us. We’re speaking out against indoctrination and abuse of children. Join us:https://t.co/ZakLureu4H
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) September 24, 2021
Loudoun County has become a battleground for education policies including LGBT issues, Critical Race Theory, and racial reparations. An LCPS meeting made national headlines in June after erupting into a chaotic scene in which two parents were arrested.
The Protect Your Kids Rally event page shows 23 “going” and 89 “interested” on Facebook at the time of publication.