Downtown
Bill to label graphic sexual content in school libraries dies, but underlying issue lives on
A bill to require the cataloging of visual depictions of graphic sexual content available in school libraries passed the Virginia House, but did not pass the Senate.
By Ryan Carpenter
A bill to require the cataloging of visual depictions of graphic sexual content available in school libraries passed the Virginia House, but did not pass the Senate.
Del. Timothy Anderson, R-Virginia Beach, introduced House Bill 1379, which would have required Virginia K-12 school principals, or a designated person, to start and maintain the school library catalog. The database would have been accessible for parents to view available content and opt their children out if they wanted.
There has been an “unprecedented surge in local and statewide book challenges” in recent years, according to the American Library Association.
EveryLibrary is a political action committee that advocates for libraries. The organization’s bill tracker identifies a total of 79 bills in statehouses across the country that would add a new layer of scrutiny to school libraries and administrators.
Similar parental advisory bills were introduced in the Virginia General Assembly but did not advance. Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, introduced Senate Bill 1463 to require public libraries, including K-12 libraries, to label sexually explicit materials.
On the other side of the aisle, Del. Karrie Delaney, D-Fairfax, introduced HB 2136. The bill would have protected public school library materials from removal or restriction based on protected characteristics including race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and more.
Anderson’s proposed measure would have allowed the principal to determine how books were labeled and cataloged. Parents would have the option to restrict their child’s access to the catalog content, and also to request the school review catalog content if they felt it had not been flagged correctly.
“I could opt my child out from having access to those books,” Anderson said. “[I] wasn’t trying to take the books out of the libraries, wasn’t trying to censor them. I was just trying to empower parents to make the best decision for their child.”
His district is dealing with “at least 100 books” he would want cataloged as sexually graphic material, Anderson said.
“We didn’t go after, like, romantic novels,” Anderson said, as he detailed graphic book imagery.
Anderson mentioned six examples of graphic novels during the bill’s second House reading, that he said contain content not suitable for young adults.
One was “Gender Queer: A Memoir,” one of the most-banned books in America, according to an NBC report. The book was first pulled for review from Fairfax County Public Schools in September 2021, according to the same report. The book currently remains in Fairfax High School, according to Anderson. He also mentioned “The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel,” which includes depictions of the rape of young women.
The bill was not an attack on LGBTQ content, according to Anderson, but “graphic sexual content that is deemed harmful to minors.”
“A drawing of two boys holding hands is not sexually graphic, but a drawing of two children engaged in oral sex is, regardless of the theme of that oral sex,” Anderson said.
The bill allowed flagged material to remain in the library catalog, Anderson said. Librarians who accidentally missed a book in “good faith” would not be penalized, he said to House members, although the bill did not explicitly state that.
Parents in Virginia and across the country have voiced their support for this type of involvement, according to Anderson.
“Parents are screaming at their local school boards about this,” Anderson said.
The bill was supported by the Family Foundation and the Pro-Family Women organization, according to the Senate Education and Health committee. The bill faced backlash from the Virginia Education Association, Virginia Library Association, and some school teachers and librarians.
Lia Fisher-Janosz is the librarian at Sharon Elementary School in Alleghany County. She testified to a Senate panel against Anderson’s bill.
The bill is a product of a political climate where “one person or group” believes they have the right to make choices for all and upend the rights of others, according to Fisher-Janosz.
Librarians should not have to keep tabs on what books each individual child is allowed to check out, Fisher-Janosz stated in an email interview.
“This is a violation of children’s civil rights, which are inalienable and not that different from those possessed by adults,” Fisher-Janosz stated.
Barbara Haas is the librarian at Thomas C. Boushall Middle School in Richmond. She is worried about the logistical consequences of such a bill.
“The difficult part for me if something like that passed would be, you know, having to consult a spreadsheet every time a child wanted to check out a book,” Haas said.
She doesn’t know what the system would look like in practice.
“I’ve never had a parent, you know, specifically say to me they don’t want their child to … read a particular thing,” Haas said.
Haas also is unsure who or what would determine what is sexually explicit content. She pointed out that “what is sexually explicit to one person is not to another.”
“If you don’t want your kid to read it, then that’s a conversation that you need to have with your kid,” Haas said. “I just don’t see how a spreadsheet is going to be helpful.”
The bill died on a 9-6 vote in the Senate Education and Health committee. The move killed the bill, but is not the end of the issue.
“Parents are angry,” Anderson said. “This is really one of the reasons why Glenn Youngkin is the governor and the Republicans have the House.”
Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.
Community
Street and Lane Closures – E Broad at N 10th Street
The work is scheduled to start April 3rd and wrap up May 26th.
WHO: City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities (https://twitter.com/DPUStreetNews)
WHAT: Drainage Project including installing new stormline
WHEN: Beginning Monday, April 3, 2023 through May 26, 2023
WHERE: E. Broad Street at N. 10th Street in the Biotech/MCV District of Downtown, between E. Broad and E. Marshall streets.
PROJECT SCOPE:
- Phase 1 April 3 – 11 7:00 p.m. – 5:00 a.m. – N. 10th Street closed between E. Broad and E. Marshall
- Phase 2 April 12 – 21 7:00 p.m. – 5:00 a.m. – N. 10th Street closed between E. Broad and E. Marshall
- Phase 3 April 24 – May 12 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. – N. 10th Street lane closures between E. Clay and E. Marshall (24 hours)
- Phase 4 May 15 – 26 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. – N. 10th Street lane closures between E. Marshall to E. Broad and E. Broad from N. 10th to N. 11th
Sidewalk will be closed on N. 10th between E. Broad to E. Marshall
Note: Work is anticipated to take place during the dates and times above. Impacts will occur during work times, except where noted.
Downtown
Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU celebrates ribbon-cutting of new Children’s Tower
When combined with the adjacent outpatient Children’s Pavilion, the Children’s Tower completes a city block – nearly 1 million square feet – dedicated to caring for kids
Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR) on Tuesday celebrated the ribbon-cutting for its Children’s Tower, Richmond’s new home for pediatric inpatient, emergency and trauma care. Nearly 300 families, elected officials, hospital team members, donors and community partners gathered to celebrate the completely kid-focused, $420 million facility which will officially open on April 30.
The Children’s Tower was designed for and with the help of families and providers in the community, based on extensive research into best practices in pediatric health care. When combined with the adjacent outpatient Children’s Pavilion, the Children’s Tower completes a city block – nearly 1 million square feet – dedicated to caring for kids. The 16-story building houses the region’s only Level 1 pediatric trauma center and emergency department with 24/7 access to any pediatric specialist a child may need, along with family amenities and 72 all-private acute and intensive care rooms that are among the most spacious in the country.
“This is a great day for Virginia and our capital city of Richmond. Not only do we have the best and brightest medical providers – many of whom have graduated from our outstanding Virginia medical schools – but patients can get care from them in state-of-the-art facilities while remaining close to home,” Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin said. “This Children’s Tower will help ensure that our youngest Virginians can grow into our future leaders, care providers and difference makers.”
CHoR broke ground on the Children’s Tower in June 2019 as part of a comprehensive plan to address the needs of the community and state.
“I had the pleasure of attending the groundbreaking for the Children’s Tower and what a difference a few years has made,” Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said. “As I watched this building rise from City Hall next door, I thought about the kids and families from our city and beyond who will benefit from the beautiful space and dedicated teams inside. Children are our future, and the future of Richmond is bright.”
The Children’s Tower project was completed on time, despite obstacles presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The VCU Children’s Tower represents a commitment to our children and communities that we’re putting their needs first,” said VCU and VCU Health System President Michael Rao, Ph.D. “After many years of our team’s focus on addressing the needs of children in a comprehensive way, I’m so grateful that we’re able to bring together comprehensive children’s health services and research into the early, formative aspects of human development, including the causes and cures of disease and development. CHoR will serve children and families in Richmond and across the Mid-Atlantic and beyond, and I’m grateful to every team member and donor who helped make this a reality.”
Providers at CHoR care for both the most common and complex injuries and illnesses, last year serving more than 70,000 families from across the commonwealth, nearly all 50 states and outside the U.S. The Children’s Tower is expanding inpatient bed capacity and emergency room access by 40 percent on opening day. Access to imaging and services from the Level 1 Children’s Surgery Center will also increase. The building includes space for growth to meet future needs.
In addition to pediatric-specific operating rooms, imaging suites and trauma bays equipped with the latest advancements for optimal medical care, the Children’s Tower creates a kid-friendly patient experience with added convenience. It is located one turn off Interstate-95 and offers free onsite parking, including valet for families visiting the emergency room.
Playrooms, teen lounges, a family gym, interactive installations, performance space and family lounges are among the amenities that will be available on opening day to make the environment more comfortable for kids and families. The cafeteria offers kid-friendly dining options, including brick oven pizza, while the James River theme includes colors and animal mascots to differentiate each floor and help with navigating the building. Additional amenities will open later this summer, including a RMHC In-Hospital-House, multifaith chapel and indoor children’s garden.
Take a virtual tour of the Children’s Tower and meet the James River themed animal mascots at chrichmond.org/childrenstower.
The stuff dangling off the osprey’s talon is trash that some human left. The bird is getting around fine now and hopefully the string will break off before the bird becomes entangled. Don’t litter, pickup what you can and for god’s sake don’t release balloons.
This article is 5 years old and the situation hasn’t improved.
More Plastic in the World Means More Plastic in Osprey Nests – National Audubon Society
Human waste routinely finds its way into birds’ nests, and it is especially common with Ospreys. The birds use a huge variety of materials to build their nests, including sticks, bark, sod, grass, vines and algae. Plastic items mimic the appearance of many of these natural building supplies, and Osprey find plastic trash mixed in with their natural nesting materials in beach wrack lines, making it hard for them to distinguish what’s what, Wurst says. “While Osprey see plastic as a useful resource for them to build their nests from, they don’t see the potential danger.”
By 2012, Wurst realized the problem was worsening, so he began removing the trash and collecting it to raise awareness of the issue. Wurst’s Osprey nest-trash collection includes all kinds of plastic items, including unusual finds such as plastic shovels, flags, and polyester hats. But he believes the most dangerous and deadly items are the most common ones he finds in nests: plastic ribbon from balloons and monofilament fishing line. “Trash like monofilament, ribbon, and string can easily entangle a foot, leg, or wing of an adult or young Osprey,” he says. In addition, “single use plastic bags or other plastic sheeting can choke or smother them.”
Game Preview: Kickers Back to Defend Regular Season Championship
Photo of the Day: Kickers Home Opener Saturday
Street and Lane Closures – E Broad at N 10th Street
Photo of the Day: River Sitting
VCU Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Rhoades headed to Penn State, Utah State’s Ryan Odom favorite for replacement: reports
Husband-and-wife duo bringing new restaurant concept to former Mill on MacArthur space
New full-service commercial kitchen, fast casual food hall opens Wednesday
Richmond Falcon Cam is Back
Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU’s bevy of spring exhibitions run the gamut
