Virginia school districts reject GOP Gov Youngkin's policies on transgender students

Virginia public schools in liberal parts of the state are rejecting GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin's new policies regarding  transgender students, bathrooms and pronouns. 

Alexandria and Arlington public school, in northern Virginia, the most liberal part of the state, are among the districts that have said they won't comply with the new policies. 

The policies state, in part, that school staffers can refer to students by a name different to the one give them at birth only if the have written permission from the parents. 

The policies also state that students who identify as transgender should use the school bathrooms and locker rooms that match their biological sex, unless federal law says otherwise. 

“Practices such as compelling others to use preferred pronouns is premised on the ideological belief that gender is a matter of personal choice or subjective experience, not sex,” the policies read. “Many Virginians reject this belief. Additionally, the First Amendment guarantees religious freedom and prohibits compelling others to affirm ideas that may be contrary to their personal religious beliefs.”

Loudoun and Prince William County public schools, each of which are further away from Washington, D.C. that Alexandria and Arlington counties. told FOX 5  they're reviewing the policies. 

As of now, it's not clear if the school districts rejecting the policies will face any consequences. 

“The law states Virginia Department of Education shall provide and school boards shall adopt. The Virginia Department of Education has fulfilled its responsibility to develop the model polices, school boards are expected to follow the law,” said a Youngkin spokesperson, according to the Daily Wire.