Governor Youngkin statement on Senate Passage of Bill 656

RICHMOND, VA – On February 9, 2022, Governor Glenn Youngkin released the following statement after the passage of Senate Bill 656, introduced by Senator Siobhan Dunnavant, R-Henrico, on a vote of 20-18. The bill requires the Department of Education to develop model policies for school districts to and make available to each school board model policies for ensuring parental notification of any instructional material that includes sexually explicit content.

“Today, the Senate moved forward on a bill that reaffirmed parental rights. Since the very beginning, I have advocated to give parents a voice and a say on whether their children can receive alternative reading materials because Parents Matter. The passage of this bill, signals to schools that parents will not be silenced. Notifying parents is just commonsense, and I look forward to signing it when it reaches my desk,” said Governor Youngkin.