HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The Hanover County School Board approved the proposed policy revisions related to the treatment of transgender students.
Under the proposals, school staff will refer to students using the pronouns identified in student records. The only exception to this will be if school administrators receive a written request from both a student and their parent.
The plan also governs access to changing rooms and extracurricular activities like after-school sports. For extracurricular activities in particular, there will be little-to-no exceptions.
“Reasonable modifications to this policy will be permitted only to the extent required by law,” the extracurricular policy revision reads.
The school division’s history with transgender student policies have been controversial in the past. In October 2022, the school board was sued by the ACLU of Virginia which claimed the policies were discriminatory.
Several public commenters on Tuesday night expressed support for the most recent revisions to the policy.
“These are common sense provisions that support gender identity based on the student’s official record or consent from the parent,” one speaker during the public comment period said. “They clarify that extracurricular activities and overnight accommodations are to be based on the student’s biological sex. These changes honor parental oversight and are best for all students.”
