In a significant development that ought to bring a sigh of relief to parents and students alike, the Virginia Republican governor has been victorious in restoring a semblance of sanity to the school systems. Fueled by concerns over privacy and safety, he has successfully championed a movement to put an end to what some might call an experiment in neglectful pedagogical practices. Radical indoctrination, which had seeped its way into the school policy and even into the bathrooms, has been effectively countered. Imagine a world where common sense actually guides school policy—what a concept!
For too long, the cluster of Northern Virginia schools had allowed an anything-goes mentality when it came to gender identity, allowing students to access bathrooms based on their chosen identity rather than their biological sex. Sounds like a perfect recipe for controversies and misguided judgment. Fortunately, the leadership stepped in, seeing the need to enforce safety and privacy for all students, respecting both student dignity and—imagine that—parental rights. It turns out that common sense is not as common as one might hope, but at least it’s making a roaring comeback in the classroom.
This decisive action was crucial, especially given the disturbing incidents that had occurred. There was the unsettling event in Arlington County where an adult male, identifying as female, entered a girls’ bathroom and exposed himself to a young girl. And if that weren’t enough to raise eyebrows, three boys in Loudoun County were left feeling uneasy when a biological girl entered their locker room, prompting an absurd investigation of the boys rather than addressing the underlying problem. Only in a comic sketch could such confusion pass for reality, but this was not a rehearsal of the absurd—it was the students’ daily lives.
The blame for such bewildering policies doesn’t only rest at the local level, as the federal bureaucracy came into question too. While the previous administration held ground to protect these questionable practices, turning a deaf ear to common sense and instead siding with bureaucracy over children’s welfare, the tables have now turned. Thanks to relentless efforts, the federal authorities are now joining the crusade to return sanity to the classrooms, holding firm to the ideals of safety and common sense.
While it seems astonishing that such a straightforward decision could be controversial, it underscores how far gone the educational policies had spiraled. The previous focus appeared more concerned with teaching what to think rather than how to think, further evidenced by the shocking learning losses during the pandemic. With intensive tutoring and a return to in-person instruction, the tide seems to be turning. Perhaps there is hope yet that education will return to its original purpose—fostering real learning, equipping students with critical thinking skills, and making parental involvement a central tenet. Now, it’s only a matter of climbing the steep hill of recovery and rooting for disciplined pragmatism over the chaotic whims of misplaced priorities.
