We had a terrific rally on Wednesday, with hundreds of parents and community members supporting parents’ rights and the need for changes in FCPS. We heard from over a dozen speakers, including parents, students, faith leaders, community members, Moms for Liberty, candidates for the BOE, the Senate, the 6th district Congressional seats, and Transparency in Education.

Among the many things FCPS is considering and/or developing is a series of videos and that present transgender identities and gender choices to FCPS students as a regular part of childhood development, and their policies and actions support and promote a one-sided version of the scientific and biological realities.

FCPS is ignoring the facts and refusing to consider the substantial new information that indicates the current policies are out of date, including the fact that most of Europe, which has much more experience than the U.S. on this topic, is moving away from the exact type of approach FCPS continues to insist we use.

When policy 443 went in, there were at least three policies and an FCPS regulation that ensured transgender and gender non-conforming students were protected from an unwelcoming environment. So why was 443 even installed? The history behind 443 and the push to expand an ideology explain not only why it’s in place but also why six of the seven BOE members refuse to discuss changes.

The finding provides a path to winning a similar case. Last Tuesday, August 15, the 4th Circuit Court in Richmond ruled that the case brought by three Montgomery County parents to force the school system to change their policy that precludes telling parents if their child chooses an alternative gender or determines they are transgender found for the schools. But it did not confirm that the policy is legal under the Constitution.

The coach is an adult biological male but identifies as a woman. The FCPS policy that allows the sharing of bathrooms, locker rooms/showers, overnight lodging, and changing areas by self-identified gender rather than biological sex is focused solely on students. In other words, there is no policy or plan for how to handle a transgender adult that wants to share these personal spaces with students.