Virginia Regulatory Town Hall View Comments

Department of Education

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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8/1/22 11:59 am

Commenter: Andrea Langston

Strongly Oppose

I have serious concerns about the VDOE’s model policies concerning instructional materials with “sexually explicit content,” a broadly vague term that could be applied with unintended consequences.

While I respect the rights of parents to teach their children values and beliefs they wish to impart, the public school system was established to provide a well-rounded education to all students and to provide equal footing for all to grow to their full potential. Classrooms must continue to be a place where students are free to ask questions, explore new ideas, and learn from the experiences of others that are the same AND different from themselves. There is no place for censorship and partisanship in our schools.

Teachers and librarians are trained experts with years of experience introducing diverse and sometimes sensitive subjects into the classroom. They are trained professionals whose jobs are to put the students’ interests first. The proposed model policies would make it harder for these educators to do their job and will likely result in censorship due to teacher and librarian’s fear or confusion over what qualifies as “sexually explicit content.”

Virginia students deserve to grow up into brave, courageous people who value diversity and inclusion. We are all better off when young people are encouraged to embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion.

I oppose the proposed model policy and instead encourage the VDOE, state lawmakers, and the governor to put their energies into the important equity work started under the previous governor.

CommentID: 124335