The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has announced that Virginia will move forward with a proposed draft of social studies standards that will, in the words of the draft, “just get rid of the dang thing.” This move comes after weeks of intense criticism from stakeholders, parents, teachers, students and academics over the January draft, which controversially included such changes as omitting the words “fascism” and “diversity.”
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In the Face of the Transphobia Epidemic
On September 16, the Virginia Department of Education released new model policies for school boards addressing the treatment of transgender students. The models mandated misgendering, outing, and sex-based bathrooms, alongside optional parental restrictions on student counseling services. Immediately, the policies sparked widespread reactions throughout social media. Twitter thrummed with thousands of opinions, calls to action, and profile picture changes as the country, state, and community weighed in on Governor Youngkin’s latest swing at student rights in the name of “empowering parents.”
