VEA: Spotsylvania Vote Puts ‘Partisanship Over Kindness’
August 15, 2023
August 15, 2023
Dr. James J. Fedderman, President of the Virginia Education Association, made the following statement after the Spotsylvania School Board voted to adopt the state’s suggested policies on the treatment of transgender students in Virginia’s public schools:
“It’s no surprise that the Spotsylvania School Board, which continues to be driven by ideology, not what’s best for students, is the first school board in the state to approve the Youngkin administration’s suggested policies on the treatment of LGBTQ+ and transgender students in our public schools. These policies, which value political partisanship over kindness and decency, open the door for the bullying and harassment of students who already face too many barriers at school. To score some political points with his base, the governor and the Spotsylvania board are willing to implement policies that are simply cruel. All young people in our public schools deserve to feel safe and to exercise their right to live authentically.”
According to the Economic Policy Institute, teachers in Virginia earn 67 cents on the dollar compared to other (non-teacher) college-educated workers. Virginia’s teacher wage penalty is the worst in the nation.
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