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This weekend, four additional major school districts in Virginia publicly declared they will not comply with demands from the Trump administration’s Department of Education to ban transgender students from using bathrooms that match their gender. Their statements follow Loudoun County Public Schools’ vote last week to uphold protections for transgender students. Together, the five districts represent one of the most significant coordinated acts of defiance against the administration’s anti-trans education policy to date — especially as universities and hospital systems elsewhere have capitulated under similar pressure. In response, the Department of Education has begun the process to revoke funding for programs supporting students with disabilities, low-income families, and free and reduced-price lunches — heightening the stakes in what has become a nationwide battle over civil rights in education.

The school districts refusing compliance with the Trump administration include Alexandria City Public Schools, Arlington Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools, and Prince William County Public Schools. This is in addition to Loudoun County Public Schools, which was the first district to defy Trump administration demands.

“As a school board member, I cannot sit idly by while adults who should know better try to pit one group of students against another. Our responsibility is to ensure that every child — including those who are transgender or gender nonconforming — has an opportunity to achieve their full,........

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