Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Education
 
Board
State Board of Education
 
chapter
Regulations Governing Local School Boards and School Divisions [8 VAC 20 ‑ 720]
Action Amendments Regarding Use of Controversial or Sensitive Instructional Materials
Stage NOIRA
Comment Period Ended on 1/15/2014
spacer
Previous Comment     Next Comment     Back to List of Comments
1/7/14  11:58 am
Commenter: High School English Teacher

Please reject
 

As a high school English teacher, I strongly believe that this amendment must be rejected. It is very hard to determine what material is "sensitive" and varies so much from student to student and even from day to day. This would put immense limitations on curriculum planning. Reading is such a struggle for students in our modern age. They need to read something that appeals to them and interests them. In order to meet these needs, a large array of materials must be available for the teacher to choose from. The selections that have been read and taught for years (consider "Romeo and Juliet" or "Beowulf") are classics that appeal to our modern readers. While they do contain some material that may be viewed by some as "sensitive" they also contain timeless subjects and themes that students can relate to, even though they were written ages ago. This is the type of literature that should never be subject to discrimination based on what people may or may not consider "sensitive" content.

CommentID: 29882