Governor Glenn Youngkin is about to make a decision on legislation outlining parental rights and responsibilities.
Extra Garbage. That's how Delegate Laura Jane Cohn described the governor's amendment to her bill requiring schools to notify parents about safely storing prescription drugs and firearms.
The governor's amendment required schools to notify parents if their child is transgender, and the idea that the amendment was garbage is not sitting well with the folks at the conservative Family Foundation. Here's Candi Cushman and Victoria Cobb of the Family Foundation on their podcast.
"Why do they keep using the 'garbage' term," Cushman asked.
Cobb replied, "That's a great question."
"It's almost like a Freudian slip that this is how they view it," Cushman said.
"Oh, I think they do," Cobb replied. "I think they really do. I think they think kids are capable of living life without their parents. I can't comprehend it."
Delegate Cohn says she stands by her description.
"It is garbage to try to circumvent the process that schools have painstakingly set up to make sure parents are included in the conversations when they find kids who are nervous about talking to their parents about anything," Cohn says. "The first thing that counselors do is work to come up with a plan with that student of how to be able to bring their parents in and have conversations."
Last month, members of the General Assembly rejected the governor's attempt to turn a safe storage bill into a transgender bill. Now, the governor has a deadline to act on the original notification bill about safe storage of prescription drugs and firearms. That deadline is Friday night at midnight.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
