HB 2400 Virginia House of Delegates · 2025 Regular Session

Public elementary and secondary school libraries; model policies for review of print, etc.

Summary
Public elementary and secondary school libraries; model policies for review of print and audiovisual materials; sexually explicit visual content prohibited. Requires the Department of Education to develop and make available to each school board model policies prohibiting any school library in any public elementary or secondary school from obtaining or possessing any print or audiovisual materials that contain sexually explicit visual content, as that term is defined in the bill. The bill requires such model policies to (i) require the review of any print or audiovisual material that is (a) made available to any such school for placement in any school library or (b) accessible to students in any school library for the purpose of determining whether such material contains sexually explicit visual content; (ii) provide for the removal or exclusion from any school library of any print or audiovisual material that, upon review, is determined to contain sexually explicit visual content; and (iii) establish guidelines for implementing such policies in accordance with the provisions of the bill to ensure compliance with the First Amendment to the Constitution of United States and Article 1, Section 12 of the Constitution of Virginia. The bill requires each school board to adopt policies that are consistent with but may be more comprehensive than the model policies adopted by the Department of Education pursuant to the bill. Finally, the bill amends the exception in current law to the prohibition of certain sales and loans to juveniles for the purchase, distribution, exhibition, or loan of certain materials to schools to clarify that the exception does not apply in the case of public school libraries as provided in the provisions of the bill.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 8, 2025 Last action Feb 4, 2025
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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
6
Key actions
1
Committee
3
Jan 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (5-Y 3-N)
lower
Jan 24, 2025
Committee
Assigned Educ sub: K-12 Subcommittee
lower
Jan 8, 2025
Committee
Referred to Committee on Education
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Phil Scott
Phil Scott
RRepublican
VA
63