Updated Noon — Photos taken by a pilot of a helicopter used by Washington D.C.’s WRC-TV show hundreds walked out of schools today in Prince William County.
The photos show students at Colgan and Hylton high schools near Woodbridge participating in a walkout scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, September 27. The students were there to protest new guidelines from the Virginia Department of Education, which Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) says all public schools should follow, that shift control of transgender issues back to parents.
Under the order from the Department of Education, Virginia public schools will no longer be allowed to provide gender-affirming counseling services to students without first consulting with their parents, per new guidelines from the Virginia Department of Education.
#BreakingNews Nearly 100 middle and high schools in #Virginia stage walkouts to protest Governor Glen Youngkin's proposed restrictions on transgender student's rights to pronouns, bathroom use, and self-identification, more info at @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/iK0Mr87NDr
— ???? ??????? (@Chopper4Brad) September 27, 2022
The guidelines also say schools shall defer to parents regarding the use of pronouns, names, and nicknames or whether the student identifies with a gender different from their biological sex. Schools shall also defer to parents on decisions about whether a student receives counseling that encourages the student to identify with a gender different from their biological sex.
Potomac Local News is unable to verify the photos independently. Ken May, who identified himself as the chief of security at Colgan High School, booted Potomac Local News from the campus at about 9 a.m. We watched the front of the school from about 500 yards away, along busy Route 234 that fronts the school, and saw little activity.
We saw only a handful l security personnel positioned around a traffic circle and visitor’s parking area, the spot from which we were told to leave.
Many parents took issue with the school for not telling parents about the planned walkout. Janelle Anderson today drove her child to Colgan, where he attends classes.
“Whether I support [former governor] Northam’s policy or Youngkin’s policy is not the issue. Young people paying attention to politics is a good thing, and I support that. Knowing that you willfully deceived thousands of high school parents by your deliberate refusal to inform PWCS parents in advance of the political activity happening at PWCS high schools 9/27/22 is enraging and a breach of trust,” Anderson wrote in a letter to Prince William County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Latayna McDade.
Today, student protests were planned at multiple Prince William County Public Schools over the Department of Education order. According to a handbook produced by the Pride Liberation Project, students are told to urge state and local school leaders to reverse VDOE’s transgender policies.
“These proposed guidelines are essentially taking that cornerstone and using it to undermine our rights. If these guidelines are implemented, it will be the single biggest loss for Queer rights in Virginia in years,” writes the group.
Overall, walkouts were planned at eight high schools in Prince William County, four in Spotsylvania, and two in Stafford.
The Pride Liberation Project plans a rally at the Edward Kelly Leadership Center — Prince William County Public Schools Headquarters on Wednesday, October 4. It did not list a time for the rally. However, the School Board is scheduled to meet at 7 o’clock that evening.
