Bill to Require Factual Teaching About U.S. Capitol Attack Clears Virginia General Assembly

Virginia lawmakers on Monday passed a proposal that would require schools, if they teach students about the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to relay the facts of what actually happened, without including misinformation that the 2020 presidential election was stolen or that the attack was just a peaceful protest.

Since both the Senate and House advanced the measure, if Gov. Abigail Spanberger approves, it would take effect immediately and would dictate what and how Virginia’s public schools can instruct pupils regarding the Capitol attack, a major political event in the country’s recent history.

The attack, waged by supporters of then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in response to Congress certifying that Joe Biden won the election, had wide-ranging impacts on law enforcement, public discourse about democracy, and ongoing institutional, legal, and social repercussions.

“There is real concern that the President of the United States is trying to rewrite the history of January 6, (that is) borne out by the fact there’s a whitehouse.gov site that presents a false history of what happened that day,” House Bill 333 sponsor Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, said to the Mercury earlier during the session.

“We just want to make sure that if school boards choose to teach on January 6, that they’re not presenting the false narrative that is out there.”

Permissive and political

Helmer’s bill does not ban schools from teaching about Jan. 6. Instead, it requires a specific framing and bars presenting alternative interpretations or election fraud claims as credible in public schools.

Despite the seeming consensus in the legislature, the bill drew some opposition from the public.. The Virginia Assembly of Independent Baptists argued that it lacked educational value and pushed a “left-wing” narrative.

“I don’t know that I agree that it is necessary to take one of the darkest days in American history and teach our young people and glorify to our young people when adults act badly,” said Michael Huffman, the assembly’s executive director, during a Senate subcommittee meeting on Feb. 19. “True education equips children for life, not political agendas, and glorifying or mandating … the dark day serves only short-sighted partisanship, not our kids’ future.”

Sheila Fury, another speaker who opposed the legislation, called it another “reason why everyone in the commonwealth should pull their children from public education” during a Jan. 27 House Education subcommittee hearing.

“This is explicit indoctrination,” Fury said.

Helmer, in response, emphasized the need to teach the truth about the event and counter widespread false narratives about it. Some lawmakers, including Senate Education and Health Committee Chair Sen. Barbara Favola, D-Arlington, pointed out that the proposal is permissive.

“I don’t see anything wrong with this bill,” Favola said. “I think the January 6 episode, unfortunately, is something that our children should be aware of, and I think the framework is reasonable.”

In the House, Del. Jessica Anderson, D-Williamsburg, supported the legislation.

“Our courts have proven that it was an insurrection, and I want to make sure that our students are also taught those facts,” Anderson said during a Jan. 27 House Education subcommittee hearing.

The Senate and House supported the legislation on mostly party-line votes.

Next step

Spanberger will decide whether to sign the proposal into law. Her position on it is currently unclear and her office did not respond to questions about whether she will support the measure.

Before her election as governor, Spanberger represented Virginia in Congress during the attack. She called for investigations and measures to prevent similar attacks in the future.

She wrote, “This day did not happen in a vacuum. Jan. 6 marked the continuation of a trend of falsehoods — and tragically, the lies that spawned this act of insurrection are still present in American politics.”

The governor’s office said she will “review all legislation that comes to her desk.”

Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.