EXCLUSIVE — Middle and high school students in Fairfax County Public Schools were subjected to an orientation presentation this year informing them that they had a “right” of “non-disclosure” for their gender identity.
The presentation, obtained by the Washington Examiner, detailed to students the requirements of the school district’s “Student Rights and Responsibilities,” which govern student conduct, and is required viewing in middle and high school grades.
FAIRFAX TEACHERS TRAINED TO TRANSITION CHILDREN’S GENDERS WITHOUT PARENTAL APPROVAL
Screen Shot 2022-08-30 at 4.46.01 PM.pngThe slides from the presentation assert that “All FCPS students have a right to … be called by chosen name and pronoun,” a right to “non-disclosure of your gender identity and/or sexual orientation,” and “access the restroom and locker room facilities and other non-stigmatizing accommodations that are consistent with your gender identity.”
Screen Shot 2022-08-30 at 4.45.53 PM.pngAnother slide tells students that they have a “responsibility” to “refrain from using words, images, or gestures that are obscene, violent, disruptive, or disrespectful” and to “request access to social, emotional, and behavioral supports when needed.”
Screen Shot 2022-08-30 at 4.46.24 PM.pngSources within Fairfax County Public Schools told the Washington Examiner that students must complete a test on the information in the slides and sign a document attesting they understand the district’s regulations.
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In a statement to the Washington Examiner, Nicki Neily, the president of the parent activist group Parents Defending Education, blasted the district for “cherry-pick[ing] the civil rights to which students are constitutionally entitled.”
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“It might be time for the FCPS school board to undergo a professional development session on civil rights,” Neily said. “The First Amendment protects students against compelled speech, and it does not have a carveout for ‘disrespectful’ language. These are fairly basic legal concepts, and ones that are in the news on a regular basis, so it’s mystifying why these elected officials are shirking their own professional responsibilities.”
The northern Virginia school district has been under fire in recent days after the Washington Examiner first reported last week on a training program required of all district teachers that detailed how teachers and staff can avoid informing parents if a student sought to be addressed by a different name or pronoun and professed a gender identity different from their biological sex.
The training caught the attention of Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA), who, in an appearance on Fox News, accused the school district of violating state and federal law.
“To see a school system in Fairfax County begin to brief teachers on how to cut parents out of these most critical decisions for their children is not only wrong, but it completely contravenes state law and, oh, by the way, federal law,” Youngkin said. “There is clear law that says parents have a fundamental right to make the decisions with regard to their child’s upbringing, education, and care.”
The governor, who was elected last year on a platform that heavily emphasized parental rights, vowed to “bring the full authority of the governor’s office to make sure parents are protected.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“This is what we did in Virginia over the course of the last year as we were elected because parents felt cut out and saw politicians injecting bureaucrats between them and their children,” Youngkin said. “We passed legislation on a bipartisan basis this year to empower parents to make decisions whether their children should wear a mask or whether the materials were consistent with their family values.”
Fairfax County Public Schools did not respond to a request for comment.
