Posts by Mark Spooner
Virginia General Assembly Panel Considers Youngkin Model Transgender Policy
On December 19 a committee of the Virginia General Assembly voted 5-4 to oppose the Youngkin administration’s proposed Model Policy for dealing with transgender issues in Virginia public schools. The vote was meaningless. Here’s why. The Youngkin administration’s Department of Education published a draft of a Model Policy in mid-September and established a 60-day period…
Read MoreYoungkin Model Transgender Policy — Urgent Action Needed
A public hearing will be held in Richmond this coming Monday, December 19, on the Youngkin Administration’s Model Transgender Policy. Interested citizens who cannot attend in person may testify virtually or submit written comments, but the deadline is tomorrow, Sunday, December 18, at noon. This is an important matter relating to protection of our kids in…
Read MoreDecember 15 — Two Opportunities to Make Your Voice Heard
Next Thursday, December 15, citizens of Fairfax County will have two opportunities to tell the School Board what’s on their mind. At 6:00 p.m. there will be a one-hour hearing on the subject of Collective Bargaining. Twenty-five two-minute speaking slots are available. Fairfax Schools Monitor has been very critical of the Board’s process for considering…
Read MoreSchool Board Proposes Combining Boys & Girls in Sex-Ed Classes — Part 2
As previously reported, the Fairfax County School Board is considering amendments to its sex-education curriculum for 4th to 8th graders. See “School Board Proposes Combining Boys and Girls in Sex-Ed Classes in Grades 4-8,” Nov. 28, 2022. Sex education at these grade levels has traditionally been provided separately to boys and girls, but the proposal…
Read MoreSex Education Proposal — Addendum
The link in my last post to the School Board’s sex education survey apparently didn’t work for some of you. You can go to the survey by clicking HERE. Reminder: The deadline for responding to the survey is this Thursday, December 1, at 4:30 p.m.
Read MoreSchool Board Proposes Combining Boys and Girls in Sex-Ed Classes in Grades 4-8
This post addresses a topic that requires immediate action by interested citizens of Fairfax County. (Apologies to readers of this blog …. I have been out of the loop for several weeks and haven’t been able to post this article before now.) The Fairfax County School Board is considering changes to its sex-ed curriculum for…
Read MoreFairfax School Board Is Playing Footsie With Teachers’ Unions
The Fairfax County School System (FCPS) is in the midst of negotiating a collective bargaining relationship with unions representing FCPS employees. Work has been occurring behind the scenes for months. The general public has been kept in the dark. The apparent intent is to present the public with a fait accompli after FCPS has determined…
Read MoreAlert! Fairfax School Board Plans to Scrap Long-Standing Policy of Objectivity
The Fairfax County School Board will vote on October 20 to undercut the school system’s long-standing policy requiring teachers to be objective and neutral when addressing controversial issues in the classroom. An effort was made at the School Board’s October 6 meeting to ram through a “Truthful Education” resolution by adding it to the agenda…
Read MoreGovernor Youngkin Defends Model Transgender Policy on CNN
Today’s “State of the Union” program on CNN included an interview of Virginia Governor Glenn Younkin by Jake Tapper. In it, Youngkin defended his administration’s proposed policy for dealing with transgender issues in public schools. His comments are informative. For those who missed it, a link to the relevant part of the CNN interview is…
Read MoreFairfax School Board Continues Its One-Sided View of Transgender Issues
The Fairfax County School Board’s October 6 meeting focused largely on transgender issues. The auditorium was packed with LGBT students and supporters. The Board chairman opened the meeting with a prepared statement that left little doubt about the Board’s intent to challenge the Virginia Department of Education’s (VDOE) new transgender policy (“the Model Policy”). Another…
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