VIRGINIA, USA — A bill that would require schools to notify parents anytime school materials includes sexually explicit content has passed in the Virginia House of Delegates.
Senate Bill 656 is sponsored by Sen. Siobhan S. Dunnavant (R-Henrico) and passed with a vote of 52-46. Similar legislation was introduced in 2016, after a Fairfax County mom requested that the book "Beloved" be removed from her son's curriculum. It became nicknamed "The Beloved bill," and passed through the General Assembly, with support from both Democrats and Republicans, until then-Governor Terry McAuliffe vetoed it.
SB656 required the Virginia Department of Education to develop a process where local school boards notify parents of any instructional materials that include sexually explicit content. The parents must also have the ability to review the material and an alternative option with nonexplicit materials must be provided at parents' requests.
If the bill becomes law, the Department of Education would have until July 31, 2022, to develop a policy and school boards would have until Jan. 1, 2023, to adopt the policy.
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