HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — After spending several months discussing a proposed policy of requiring transgender and nonbinary students to request access to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity, the Hanover County School Board decided to officially introduce the policy at their meeting Tuesday night.
The policy begins by stating that “Hanover County Public Schools is committed to ensuring that school facilities are safe and adequately protect student privacy. Students have access to the restroom, locker rooms and changing facilities that correspond to their biological sex, as reflected on their birth certificate.”
The policy continues on to state any student who identifies as transgender will need to proceed with the following process when the student “requests access to restrooms, locker rooms or changing facilities that align with their gender identity but not their sex.”
The policy comes nine months after the school board voted against fully complying with state law on the treatment of transgender and nonbinary students.
Restroom Policy
According to the policy, a student, along with their parent or guardian, will need to submit a written request to the principal of the student’s school. School administration will receive all relevant information, which may include:
- a statement from the student that, among other things, specifies their gender identity and how they have consistently, persistently and insistently expressed that identity
- signed statements from the student’s personal physician, therapist or licensed counselor verifying that the student has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria and/or that the student consistently and authentically expresses a binary gender identity
- statements from the student’s parent or guardian
- student disciplinary or criminal records
- information related to the privacy and safety of other students
- any other relevant information, including documents from other interested parties
Locker Room Policy
In addition to the restroom policy the policy states the School Board must take into consideration the following:
- the physical design of the facilities to which access is requested
- whether students appear in a state of undress in the facilities
- whether there are a sufficient number of single-user stalls to accommodate students’ privacy interests given time constraints imposed by the activity for which the facilities are being used
- any other factors relevant to preserving student privacy and safety
The policy states that if a request is denied, the student and their parent/guardian will need to resubmit their request “if the student’s circumstances materially change.”
The school board will host a second public comment period on August 16, due to the number of people in attendance at last night’s meeting. The final vote on the policy is slated to take place on August 30.