VPA Statement of Support for Each Student

In 2021, the VPA released a public statement that began… “No one should be demeaned, marginalized, or subjected to dehumanizing identity attacks, no matter their sexual orientation, the amount of money they have, the languages they speak, their gender, their age, their abilities, or the color of their skin.” This statement remains steadfastly true for the VPA as it does for our members and their school communities.

The increase in national media attention on the topic of transgender students and student-athletes includes the recent story originally aired on 9/28/22 by a Vermont-run media outlet. That story featured Randolph Union, and it was picked up at the national level over the following weekend causing significant impact and disruption for the school and students. The 10/4/22 VTDigger article titled, “Family of transgender student in Randolph faces ‘wildfire of bigotry’ following media coverage of locker room use” provides an overview of the initial story and the ensuing national interest and local impact.

The VPA reiterates its support not only of the school leaders in Randolph and its student-athletes, but for each Vermont school leader and each of the students they work with. Supporting transgender student-athletes is not only a core part of building an inclusive community for each student to grow and thrive, it is also a clear expectation by Vermont state law(s) in the Agency of Education Best Practices, and in VPA Policy regarding transgender student athletes.