Fairfax School Board Approves Nondiscrimination Policy
“It’s long overdue for FCPS to be taking the position that we will not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.”
— Fairfax County School Board Member Sandy Evans (Mason), as quoted by The Washington Post after the school board approved a new nondiscrimination policy providing protections for students and staff based on their sexual orientation. The measure, approved on an 11-1 vote on Nov. 6, brings Fairfax into line with other nearby school districts, including Montgomery County (Md.), the District of Columbia, Arlington County and Alexandria City.
While school board members are officially nonpartisan, all 12 members were backed by one of the two major political parties when they were first elected. The two Republican-backed members split, with Patty Reed (Providence) voting for the nondiscrimination policy and Elizabeth Schultz (Springfield) voting against it, saying it was overly broad and created a surplus of “protected classes.”
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