The administration of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin this weekend sharply restricted the rights of transgender students, sending schools into turmoil and drawing strong denunciations from Democratic legislators and some educators, but earning applause from Republicans and parents’ rights advocates.

The guidelines, released Friday, place Virginia at the heart a national battle over how transgender children should be treated at school, as well as if and how much parents should be told about gender transitions that begin there.

The new “model policies” — a version of which must be adopted by all of the state’s 133 school districts next month — will require transgender students to access school facilities and programs matching the sex they were assigned at birth. The policies also make it onerous for students to change their name and gender at school. ...