Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
 
Agency
Department of Education
 
Board
State Board of Education
 
Guidance Document Change: The guidance document "Model Policies Concerning Instructional Materials with Sexually Explicit Content" was developed in conjunction with stakeholders in order to comply with SB656 (2022).
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7/18/22  9:45 am
Commenter: Anonymous

Oppose SB 656
 

This bill assumes a lack of existing policy around "sexually explicit" materials in schools, which is not supported in reality. Information around sexual health and abuse is already highly sanitized in Virginia school districts.

The mechanisms of this bill are not protective. Rather, they will likely be used in Virginia school districts to further restrict necessary information on sexual health; marginalize LGBTQ+ and disabled students who often lack supportive and relevant health education; and encourage a culture of silence and victim-blaming around issues of sexual abuse and dating violence in educational settings. 

Make no mistake: students do experience sexual abuse and exploitation. But it is not by receiving accurate and comprehensive information in health class. 

CommentID: 122698