In April of 2022 Virginia Legislation passed Senate Bill 656. This bill states:

The Department (Virginia Department of Education) shall develop and make available to each school board model policies for ensuring parental notification of any instructional material that includes sexually explicit content and include information, guidance, procedures, and standards relating to:

1. Ensuring parental notification;
2. Directly identifying the specific instructional material and sexually explicit subjects; and
3. Permitting the parent of any student to review instructional material that includes sexually explicit content and provide, as an alternative, nonexplicit instructional material and related academic activities to any student whose parent so requests.

In response, Virginia Beach City Public Schools drafted Policy 6-11 which mirrors the model policy proposed by the VDOE.

The Department of Teaching and Learning, in collaboration with classroom teachers and literacy coaches, have identified material available as either a textbook resource or a supplemental resource as potentially containing sexually explicit content as identified by Senate Bill 656. This is not to be interpreted as a complete or final list. As teachers, specialists, and families discover additional titles that should be included, they may use the procedures in Regulation 6-61.2.

Parents and legal guardians may use the “Parent/Legal Guardian Prior Notification for Student Checkouts of Library Materials to be Used for Instructional Purposes” form to request prior notification when their children would like to check out a library item for instructional purposes.

VA Senate Bill 656 Instructional Materials

The following texts have been identified as having some element of sexually explicit content as defined by VA State Senate Bill 656. The following list is not perceived to be a comprehensive list and continues to be added to as additional texts are identified meeting the criteria of Bill 656.