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  9:25 pm
Commenter: Emma

Strongly oppose
 

Despite this document's purported commitment to avoid "censorship" in schools, it is hard to see how the result of this policy could be anything else. Either teachers will avoid any materials that could be deemed "sexually explicit" (a term that, as defined elsewhere in the Virginia code, appears almost infinitely flexible) or some parents will request and obtain censored materials. How would this work in a biology class, for example? A health class? Who is to decide what meets the definition of "sexually explicit" -- a definition, by the way, that seems susceptible to a vagueness challenge under the First Amendment. It is hard to see what the purpose of this document is other than to provide parents with additional fodder to go after teachers with whom they disagree.

CommentID: 127017