Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Education
 
Board
State Board of Education
 
Guidance Document Change: The 2020 Virginia General Assembly passed House Bill 753 directing the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to develop guidance standards for social emotional learning (SEL) for all public students in grades Kindergarten through 12 in the Commonwealth. The Virginia Social Emotional Learning Standards were developed in collaboration with an SEL Advisory Committee, composed of educators, community leaders, agency personnel, and parents. The Virginia SEL Standards are aligned with the Profile of a Virginia Graduate and centered in equity. This intentional focus allows the Standards to explicitly teach the skills needed to be “life ready” and to create more equitable learning environments.
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5/13/21  9:47 pm
Commenter: Emily Burke

NO.
 

The problem with this entire plan is that it is as if schools are now the place to teach basic morals and values. 

In simplified terms: 
Elementary school: How to choose a friend?  How to understand my emotions?
Middle school: what are your implicit biases? 12 year olds expected to explain their unconscious bias????  WHOSE unconscious bias is this based on?  Teacher's subjectiveness???
 
Standard # SoA2: 7-8a: I can recognize and describe unfairness and injustice in many forms including attitudes, speech, behaviors, policies, practices, and laws" 
 
Standard # SoA2: 7-8a, I can recognize and describe unfairness and injustice in many forms including attitudes, speech, behaviors, policies, practices, and laws. 
 
ACCORDING TO WHO? 
 
High school (Secondary School):  "I can evaluate my post-secondary goals based on my own personal identity, ethical standards, and as a global citizen." 
" I can recognize and describe unfairness and injustice in many forms including attitudes, speech, behaviors, policies, practices, and laws."  ACCORDING TO WHO???
 
THIS HAS NO PLACE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.   
 
Any parent scanning  through these "standards" may naturally not find alarm UNLESS your child is in middle or high school. This is NOT the role of teachers to interpret, and us parents SHOULD BE OUTRAGED. 
 
We do not send our kids to public schools to teach them to identify their "group identity" or what socio-economic status one is "born into" determines victimhood or privilege, or what immigrant status/skin color is victim. This is shameful.  
 
I'm so thankful I connected to a homeschool community this year where the focus is classical education.  Any concerned parents reading this: please explore your options.  There are affordable ways to provide your kids quality education that does not include inappropriate therapy sessions and obsession (instigation) of race issues as a part of the curriculum. https://heav.org/
CommentID: 98535