NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Back in late 2023, Newport News Superintendent Dr. Michele Mitchell, changed procedures of transgender students to align with Governor Youngkin’s model policy. She did this without a vote from the school board.
On Tuesday, a large group rallied outside the school board meeting to ask the board to reverse the procedures that were put in place. They are also fighting for a policy to be passed that allows the school board to vote on procedures, instead of the superintendent putting the procedure in place by themselves.
Newport News
NN residents urge school board to revise model polices affecting LGBTQ+ students
Here’s what the school policy states:
- School personnel will refer to students by the name that appears on their official record.
- Faculty are required to refer to students by the pronouns on their record, not the pronouns they feel comfortable with using
- Teachers cannot conceal information about a student from the student’s parent
- A student’s participation in sports and other activities are determined by sex rather than their gender identity.
“These kids have to ask themselves, 'Is this teacher gonna out me to my parents?'" Said Effie McMillan with the Tidewater Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. "'Am I gonna get in trouble for requesting different pronouns or requesting a different name be used?'”
Watch previous coverage: Newport News residents urge school board to revise model polices affecting LGBTQ+ students
“Kids don’t belong to the state, they belong to the parents and to the families,” Youngkin said in defense of the guidelines a few years back.
However, Gabriel King, a recent high school graduate, says sometimes having a teacher as an ally for transgender kids is vital, because not all parents are accepting.
“It turns out that when your parents support you, your suicide rate goes down, your depression goes down, so it’s insanely important to the mental health of trans people,” King told News 3.
But it wasn’t just adults voicing their support for the students, some students showed up as well.
“I have a lot of trans friends that have really bad dysphoria and it could really impact their mental health,” said 7th grader Col Bartley, a transgender kid.
Newport News
NN parents, advocacy group call on school boards to adopt model policies
Bartley says he’s lucky he has a family as a support system, but he’s concerned for the future and for other trans kids if Youngkin’s policies remain in place.
“It would make sure that we know that we’re known and we are seen and not feel like we are shoved, as they said earlier during the protest, under the bus,” Bartley said.
No one spoke in support of the model policies at the meeting.
The reason why this meeting was chosen for the rally is because the school board were due to review new and revised policies. One of those policies removes the superintendent’s power to make policy changes without oversight from the board.
The board is set to vote on these new policies, which includes the one regarding the power of the superintendent, on June 18.
