Senator Lynwood Lewis helps advance parental notification bill in Committee

Second bill requires schools to provide a minimum number of in-person instruction days.

Democrat Senators Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax) and Lynwood Lewis (D-Accomac) joined the Republicans on the Senate Education and Health committee Friday to approve SB 656, carried by Senator Siobhan Dunnavant (R-Henrico), which provides critical parental oversight of school instructional material.  This bill requires the Board of Education to establish policies for local school divisions to follow that require each public elementary or secondary school to provide parental notification and review of instructional material that includes sexually explicit content, and offer alternative instructional material to any student whose parent objects to the curriculum. It means a key pillar of Governor Glenn Youngkin’s education agenda will likely have enough votes to pass in the Senate and be signed into law. The House of Delegates is controlled by Republicans and expected to pass the bill.

The committee also passed 9 – 6 another bill carried by Senator Dunnavant (SB 739) that requires school divisions to offer in-person instruction for at least the minimum number of required annual instructional hours necessary for each student.  This ensures that, except for days with inclement weather, schools will remain open and in-person!

It means a key pillar of Governor Glenn Youngkin’s education agenda will likely have enough votes to pass in the Senate and be signed into law. The House of Delegates is controlled by Republicans and expected to pass the bill.

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