Virginia bill would give parents the power to ban ‘sexually explicit’ content in child’s education
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. - Soon, Virginia parents could have even more say on what their children are learning in the classroom.
A bill expected to be signed by Governor Glenn Youngkin would let parents review curricula that could be considered sexually explicit.
The ACLU of Virginia is calling Senate Bill 656 an over-arching attempt at censorship in the classroom and redundant.
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"Outright banning books cannot and never will be the answer," said Breanna Diaz, Policy and Advocacy Counsel for the ACLU of Virginia. "Parents already have this right. It is a federal right for parents to review what their children are taught and ask for accommodations."
The bill would require K-12 teachers to provide students with an alternative assignment if the original material is deemed inappropriate by parents.
Spotsylvania County pulling library books with 'sexually explicit content' from schools
Some parents in Fairfax County are going one step further, urging all books that are sexual in nature to be removed from the school district.
"It shouldn’t be a situation where your kids are not safe on campus, and they could walk into the library and accidentally stumble upon X-rated pornography," said Stacy Langton, a mother of six kids who attend Fairfax County Schools.
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Other parents at Thursday’s school board meeting also weighed in on the public debate that’s been front and center in the Commonwealth since September.
"When you remove literature that represents the queer culture, queer kids, queer adults you’re actually taking away access to these children to know that they’re ok, that they’re worthy, and that they deserve to be in this world," said Vanessa Hall, a mother of two in Fairfax County Schools.
This recent legislation comes just six years after a similar bill passed through the legislature but was vetoed by then-Governor Terry McAuliffe.
Senate Bill 656 has already passed both the Senate and the House.
Governor Glenn Youngkin has until April 11th to sign the bill. The Virginia Department of Education would then have until the end of July to write up the policy.