Community members protest at Chesterfield County School Board meeting about proposed trans student policies

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — As Chesterfield County Public Schools prepares for the new academic year, a significant debate has emerged over proposed policies regarding transgender students.

“These parents have been asking the Chesterfield County Public Schools to implement the Youngkin parental rights policies for more than a year,” said Candi Cushman, president of Virginia’s Family Foundation , a nonprofit, faith-based organization that believes being transgender is a “false ideology,” according to its website.

Cushman said over 200 parents rallied to urge the Chesterfield County School Board to implement Governor Glenn Youngkin’s parental rights policies.

The controversy has intensified with calls from parents, educators, and former students on both sides of the issue.

It was not on the agenda for the school board meeting, so the board never responded to concerns. However, parents looking to keep Youngkin’s policies out of schools also spoke out.

Weston, an educator and parent of a transgender child, argued in favor of keeping Youngkin’s policies out.

“Our schools need to be a place where our youth feel a sense of belonging,” Weston said. “As a parent of a trans girl, this couldn’t be more important to me for her to feel affirmed, welcome and safe at school.”

She was backed by another parent of a transgender woman who recently graduated from Norfolk, a school district that rejected Youngkin’s policies.

“The updated policies made it clear that schools can’t have policies instructing teachers to hide information from parents, especially regarding gender experimentation at school,” said Jason Spoon, volunteer director of Speak Up! Chesterfield, a subgroup of the Family Foundation . “She had great policies in Norfolk, policies that made her feel accepted. We were part of those policies. The idea that the current Chesterfield policies and the Norfolk policies lock parents out of the system is simply a myth.”

Youngkin’s policies roll back protection transgender students previously had regarding bathroom usage and pronoun preferences.

Former Chesterfield student McLean Davis Colon shared a personal perspective.

“Having that safe space where I felt like I was seen and had a sense of community and belonging was so formative to me,” he said. “The teachers and administration at my school who didn’t question me or make me feel as though my identity was something that needed scrutiny has been difficult.”

Despite the strong opinions expressed by community members, the Chesterfield County School Board has yet to address the issue publicly as it was not on the meeting agenda.

The next school board meeting will be later this month, but it’s unclear if the transgender student policies will be discussed.

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