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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8/3/22  6:40 pm
Commenter: Amanda Mileur

I strongly opposed this proposal.
 

Proponents of this policy say they wish to require parental consent for all "sexually explicit" material. 

Parents should not control curriculum. If they want that level of control, they can home school or find a private school that complies with their world view. 

Much of great literature contains material that was, at one time, seen as sexually explicit- Lady Chatterly's Lover, Brave New World, Ethan Frome, The Grapes of Wrath, Sons and Lovers, Leaves of Grass, Catcher in the Rye, The Color Purple, Their Eyes Were Watching God- the list is extensive and, seen through a modern lens, largely absurd, puritanical and narrow minded. 

Children should not receive only the education their parents want them to receive; that isn't education, it's indoctrination. Add in the historical nature of literary censorship and we are looking at a breeding ground for ignorance and a state in which students never experience the broader world outside their own school districts. 

Virginia's students deserve better. 

 

CommentID: 124926