'Bathroom and locker room use based on gender, rather than sex, is a safety threat,' one parent said
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Fairfax County moms reacted to the Fairfax County Public Schools' decision to defy state guidance on transgender issues in K-12 classrooms, accusing them of peddling "political ideology" harmful to kids.
FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid on Tuesday announced that the district, Virginia's largest, will defy Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s, R-Va., new guidance on bathrooms requiring students to use the pronouns and bathrooms that correspond with their biological sex, citing the federal and state anti-discrimination laws.
But several parents in the district told Fox News Digital they strenuously opposed the decision.
"FCPS… knows that their political ideology is standing in the way of using common sense to protect our children," said parent Tyler F. Ohta. "When you have members of the opposite sex using each other's bathrooms in a school setting, you are asking for trouble, as evidenced by the multiple incidents that have already occurred in public school restrooms."
Transgender bathroom policy in Fairfax County Public Schools irks parents. (Fox News Digital)
"Unfortunately, we’ve driven God out of our public square and we’re suffering the consequences now with young people being confused about their basic biology and all of the mayhem that is happening as a result," Ohta added.
Another parent, Stephanie Lundquist-Arora, said maintaining sex-segregated bathrooms is safety issue.
"Bathroom and locker room use based on gender [identity], rather than sex, is a safety threat," she said. "It is also very uncomfortable for children. The overwhelming majority of Fairfax parents and students do not want these shared-sex spaces. But the current school board and superintendent don’t care as they try to ram their political agendas down our throats."
Elizabeth McCauley, a Fairfax County parent of two and co-founder of the Virginia Mavens, said, "The Fairfax County School Board and superintendent once again put partisan politics and special interests before the safety of all students and before parental rights."
Fairfax County Public Schools (Fairfax County Public Schools)
McCauley argued the decision should "send warning bells to all parents regardless of political persuasion."
"She is ignoring the numerous concerns young girls have with biological MALES in girl’s locker rooms and bathrooms… [and] she is placing herself literally above statewide policies for the sake of fringe political groups which are aiming to brainwash children," she added.
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) finalized its policy guidelines in July.
"The law requires the Virginia Department of Education to provide model policies and requires school boards to adopt policies consistent with those provided by the Department," Youngkin spokeswoman Macaulay Porter told Fox News Digital Wednesday. "The Fairfax County Public Schools policies diverge from VDOE model policy guidance and perpetuate a false notion that FCPS knows what's better for a child than a child's parent. The Fairfax County school board is expected to follow the law."
FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid (Fox News Digital)
VDOE's guidance said that "parents have the right to make decisions with respect to their children" and that the "policies shall be drafted to safeguard parents’ rights with respect to their child, and to facilitate the exercise of those rights."
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Hannah Grossman is a Reporter at Fox News Digital.
