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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7/25/22  1:20 pm
Commenter: Mara Amster, Randolph College

Oppose SB 656
 

SB 656 puts an unfair burden on our already overburdened teachers and librarians, who are the only people who should be selecting reading materials for school curriculums.  Furthermore, the vague term "sexually explicit" is open to all kinds of interpretations and will most certainly be used against important works of literature, as well as potentially any work that incorporates LGBTQ characters or stories, regardless if there's any actual sexual content. I cannot think of many of the classics of literature that are not "sexually explicit" according to these vague definitions. This bill is unfair to educators and harmful for students. I oppose this bill as an educator, a parent, and an ally of Virginia's large LGBTQ population.

CommentID: 122951