Fairfax County’s school district leadership ignores parents on Title IX revisions

Stephanie Lundquist-Arora is a contributor for the Washington Examiner, a mother in Fairfax County, Virginia, an author, and the Fairfax chapter leader of the Independent Women’s Network. This piece originally appeared in Washington Examiner.

Last week, I sent an email to Fairfax County Public Schools leaders, inquiring whether they intend to implement President Joe Biden’s revisions to Title IX on Aug. 1. It’s a simple question with a “yes” or “no” answer. But, as with many other important decisions involving our children, the district’s leaders seem to be ignoring parents.

As of the publication of this article, the district has not responded to my inquiry.

Highly paid bureaucrats with little accountability to the district’s taxpayers are making these controversial decisions. The bureaucratic apparatus, under the direction of its superintendent, Michelle Reid, who made $399,836 in 2023, is responsible for the decision about implementing the Biden administration’s changes to Title IX.

On July 9, my school board member informed me that she had sent my inquiry to John Foster, the district’s chief legal counsel. Foster, whose salary was $246,672 in 2023, is notably among those responsible for the district’s administrative bloat and the county’s skyrocketing taxes.

Title IX’s sweeping changes, which Foster does not seem to want to discuss with the district’s inquiring parents, conflate gender with sex, thereby removing the original intent of the law — to protect females in education, in sports, and in vulnerable spaces such as bathrooms and locker rooms. The revisions also remove due process rights for those accused of harassment.

Much like the leadership in Fairfax County’s public schools, the Biden administration is blinded by its activism and willing to desecrate the law to achieve its end goal, sacrificing the safety and comfort of the majority for the whims of the tyrannical transgender minority. The courts have stepped in and are thwarting those plans for now. So far, five federal courts have ruled against the nonsensical revisions to Title IX, meaning that the changes are now blocked in 14 states, including Virginia.

On June 18, following the court’s injunction, Virginia Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera sent a letter to Reid arguing that Fairfax County’s public schools should not implement Title IX’s revisions. She wrote, “Given that the Final Rule is enjoined in Virginia, I urge all public schools … to immediately cease implementation of the Final Rule and its accompanying regulations pending the lawsuit’s resolution.”

If Reid and Foster choose to ignore Virginia’s state officials regarding the Title IX revisions, it certainly would not be the first time. They willfully ignored Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R-VA) executive orders on mask freedom and the prohibition of divisive content in public school curricula. They also ignored the Youngkin administration’s model policies for public education, which include the designation of bathroom and locker room use based on sex, not gender identity.

In other words, Fairfax County’s administrators seem to rule as they wish, without consideration of parents’ wishes or even state or national law. This is likely why the district’s legal fees are so high.

In reality, Fairfax County has already implemented many of the components of the Biden administration’s Title IX revisions. Males are allowed in female bathrooms and locker rooms in Fairfax County’s schools. Boys are permitted to compete in girls’ school sports. And preferred pronouns are already mandated under penalty of school suspension, thereby compelling speech in violation of students’ First Amendment rights.

Perhaps the better question is not whether FCPS will implement Biden’s leftist agenda on Aug. 1 because the leadership already has for the most part. The more pointed question is: Will Fairfax County’s leadership respect federal courts’ rulings on this issue and eliminate the policies that violate our children’s rights and undermine the original intent of Title IX?