Students will also be broadly expected to “use bathrooms that correspond to [their] sex,” settling another contentious dispute surrounding children who claim to be the opposite sex.
In their joint statement, Richmond Bishop Barry Knestout and Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge called the rules “a considerable improvement and much-needed remediation of the policies put in place by the prior administration” of Democrat Ralph Northam.
“The new policies enhance transparency for parents and restore their primary role in the education, care, and health of their children,” the prelates wrote.
“They affirm and protect the dignity and safety of every student. They also respect the religious liberty and conscience rights of all members of Virginia’s public school community.”
“We urge parents whose children attend Virginia public schools to become familiar with the updated policies, to engage in discussion about them at the local level, and — most importantly — to embrace their critical role in the lives of their children at home and at school,” the bishops added.
The rules generated blowback last month from left-wing and LGBT advocates. Many activists have called for schools to be permitted to hide a child’s “transgender identity” status from his or her parents; advocates have also called for students to be permitted to use the bathrooms of the opposite sex if they identify as a member of that sex.