(NewsInsights.org) -The rights of peaceful assembly and protest are important civics lessons that most high school students don’t receive the opportunity to learn about firsthand. Yet, students in Loudoun County, Virginia, organized an event to practice their Constitutional rights by launching a protest against an unpopular policy on November 1.
Woodgrove High School students in Purcellville, Virginia, part of the Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS), sought permission to organize a walkout during the instruction day to protest the district’s 2021 ruling that bathrooms and locker rooms must accommodate students by allowing them to use the facility of the gender with which they identify, better known as Policy 8040.
Members of the freshman football team primarily organized the protest against the policy. One student expressed concerns that individuals born as females could walk into locker rooms where those born as males were showering or changing clothes. He saw it as “an invasion of privacy,” according to WJLA ABC7News. Another team member expressed just how uncomfortable the policy made him feel and suggested girls likely felt the same way about the situation in their locker room and bathrooms.
A female student told the outlet the policy represented “a massive safety risk” and that the LCPS has done nothing thus far to address the concerns students have raised. She said she and others have become tired of feeling in danger whenever they need to use the bathroom. The teen told the reporter she had stopped using them at the school.
Protest organizers contacted the school administration weeks ahead of the demonstration to present their plan for the walkout and coordinate an orderly and peaceful protest with school officials. Yet, despite their efforts, several miscommunications appear to have occurred, including timing, an announcement of the demonstration over the public announcement system, and staff communication that students had permission to participate.
As a result, only 50 to 100 students participated in the protest. They said they knew there was more support for their concerns. Additionally, a small group organized a counter-movement. School officials kept the two groups separated by location. The primary demonstration was at the side of the building, while the counter-protest stayed at the entrance.
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