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Virginia

State Information

State Policy Information

State Sex Education Policies and Requirements at a Glance

Virginia schools are not required to teach sex education (also known as family life education).  However, if they choose to teach sex education they may follow the Family Life Education Guidelines and Standards of Learning developed by the Virginia Board of Education.

  • This curriculum is not required to align with the National Sex Education Standards and must emphasize abstinence. 
  • Certain topics of the Family Life Education Guidelines and Standards of Learning must be taught, if family life education is provided, such as dating violence, violence prevention, consent, and personal boundaries.
  • The curriculum is not required to include instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity. 
  •  Parents or guardians may remove their students from any class. This is referred to as an “opt-out” policy.

State Law

Virginia mandates health education, but sex education is not required. However, Virginia Code Annotated §§ 22.1-200, 22.1-207.1 and 22.1-207.2 state that all family life education programs that are offered must meet or exceed the “requirements of the [State] Board of Education.” Virginia gives permission for local school boards to develop family life education programs with the “goals of reducing the incidence of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases [STDs] and substance abuse among teenagers.”

According to Virginia Code Annotated § 22.1-207.1:1, “any family life education curriculum offered by a local school division shall require the Standards of Learning objectives related to dating violence and the characteristics of abusive relationships to be taught at least once in middle school and at least twice in high school.” The curriculum shall incorporate age-appropriate and evidence-based elements on prevention of dating violence, domestic abuse, sexual harassment, including sexual harassment using electronic means, and sexual violence. Additionally, family life education curriculum may incorporate age-appropriate elements of effective and evidence-based programs on child sexual abuse, child abduction, human trafficking, the harmful effects of female genital mutilation, the importance of personal privacy and personal boundaries, and the law and meaning of consent.

The law states that parents or guardians may remove their students from any class. This is referred to as an “opt-out” policy. 

State Profiles provided by SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change. For more information regarding your state’s sex ed policy, visit https://siecus.org/state_profile/virginia-state-profile-23/

Health Standards

State Standards

The state Board of Education’s Family Life Education Board of Education Guidelines and Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools for grades K–12 suggest programs be age-appropriate and address:

[T]he benefits, challenges, responsibilities, and value of marriage for men, women, children, and communities; abstinence education; the value of postponing sexual activity; the benefits of adoption as a positive choice in the event of an unwanted pregnancy; human sexuality; human reproduction; dating violence, the characteristics of abusive relationships, steps to take to deter sexual assault, and the availability of counseling and legal resources, and, in the event of such sexual assault, the importance of immediate medical attention and advice, as well as the requirements of the law; the etiology, prevention, and effects of STDs; and mental health education and awareness.

Virginia also offers Health Education Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools, which are separate from the Family Life Standards mentioned above. This is consistent with the separation between health education and family life education present in the related statutes. Therefore, the health education standards do not mention anything regarding human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), STDs, pregnancy, contraception, or related sexual health topics.

State Profiles provided by SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change. For more information regarding your state’s sex ed policy, visit https://siecus.org/state_profile/virginia-state-profile-23/

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