RICHMOND (WINA) – The House of Delegates has now passed identical pieces of legislation that does not allow a book to be banned from school libraries… or class curriculum… based solely on parental complaint. Fairfax Democrat Karrie Delaney says this bill does NOT stop ANY effort to have a book removed. She says there’s a process established by 2022 legislation that could allow a local school board to remove a book if deemed inappropriate. What she says this legislation prevents is a book to be removed solely by a parental complaint… or removed from an assignment because a parent doesn’t want their child to read the book at the expense of parents who want their children to.

Culpeper Republican Nick Freitas says the review policy passed in 2022 obviously has holes as illustrated by materials brought to the House during this process from school libraries. He said materials have been brought to legislators from school libraries that many objected to be shown to adults in the House of Delegates, much less be appropriate for children.

The House has now passed identical versions of this legislation from both the House and Senate, and the Senate has a formality of passing the identical House version before the legislation goes to Governor Youngkin’s desk.