King George School Board Adopts Transgender Policy
Policy directs staff to use the name that appears in the students' official record. Also, parents and students speak again in support of allowing a Genders & Sexualities Alliance Club.
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
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The King George School Board on Wednesday adopted unanimously and without discussion a new policy governing the treatment of transgender students.
The policy closely resembles the model policy developed by the Virginia Department of Education in 2023. It directs school staff to refer to each student using only the name that appears in the student’s official record or “any nickname commonly associated” with that name.
It states that school personnel “shall refer to each student using only the pronouns appropriate to the sex appearing in the student’s official record—that is, male pronouns for a student whose sex is male, and female pronouns for a student whose sex is female.”
School personnel can use a different name or set or pronouns “only if an eligible student or a student’s parent has instructed King George County Schools in writing that such other name or other pronouns be used.”
Superintendent Jesse Boyd introducing the policy by saying simply that it is brand new, and asked for a motion to approve it.
Earlier in the meeting, some parents and students spoke in opposition to the new policy. Susan Park, the parent of a middle school student, said that using a student’s “chosen name and pronouns is not a political statement—it’s a basic custom that shows kindness and respect.”
“Refusing to acknowledge [their chosen pronouns] does not make a child less queer,” she continued. “It makes school feel hostile and ordinary classroom moments feel stressful.”
Park and other parents and students also spoke in support of establishing a Genders & Sexualities Alliance (GSA) Club, saying that it would be a voluntary, safe after-school space for students to gather, build friendships, and support each other.
In September, a screenshot of the club interest form that was emailed to students was posted on the King George Community Facebook and quickly generated 580 comments, many opposing the idea of the club, with some calling it an attempt to indoctrinate and groom children.
In November, the School Board approved revisions to its policy on student organizations, removing the option for “non-curriculum-related groups” to be established at the middle school level and essentially preventing the GSA club from being allowed.
Speakers on Wednesday highlighted the fact that LGBTQ+ students experience more bullying and harassment than other students and are more likely to have suicidal ideations or to attempt suicide than their peers. They said that allowing a GSA club would signal that the school welcomes and supports all students.
Boyd said that the bullying, harassment, and suicidal ideations are “huge concerns” for him and that he worries about middle school students coming together to talk about these issues without the participation of a qualified adult.
“I’m not picking sides—that’s not my role,” he said. “I am responsible for making sure kids stay safe… Some of us have mentioned that we don’t have staff members involved [in after school clubs, aside from taking attendance]… From a safety standpoint, if we’re going to have a group of kids—10, 11, 12-year-old students—working these extremely difficult topics without the aid of an adult, it would be difficult for me to try to figure out how that remains a safe situation.”
Boyd said he wants all students to know that “if those are topics of conversation right now, we have professionals, we have amazing teachers that I know will lend a helpful ear.”
“We have qualified and certified counselors right now that have been trained to receive those concerns and help you address them,” he said.
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