Parents who want Youngkin's transgender policies enacted sue the Virginia Beach school board

Two Virginia Beach parents have filed a lawsuit seeking to force their local school system to adopt Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s new policies on transgender students, including one that would exclude transgender girls from participating on girls’ sports teams.

The lawsuit, filed on the parents' behalf by the conservative-leaning Cooper and Kirk law firm, alleges that local school boards must adopt the Youngkin administration's initiatives, which roll back many accommodations for transgender students urged by the previous Democratic administration.

School boards across the state have taken varied approaches to the issue. Some school boards with conservative majorities have adopted the policies. More liberal jurisdictions, especially in northern Virginia, have balked.

Youngkin and Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares have said school boards must adopt the new rules, which they say are designed to give parents a greater say in how their children are treated at school. But it has been unclear whether state law provides any mechanism to force counties to adopt the regulations, and opponents say they violate federal law by codifying discrimination against transgender students.