The decided to pause the process of reworking the state鈥檚 History and Social Science Standards of Learning, that standards that determine what students are expected to know after going through classes.
This would be the first revision of the SOLs since 2015.
The more than was slated for a 鈥渇irst review鈥� vote, but Jillian Balow, Virginia鈥檚 superintendent of public instruction who was appointed by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, urged the body to delay this step for one month.
鈥淚t really comes down to two things: No. 1 is time, and No. 2 is corrections so that this document is ready for prime time,鈥� Balow said.
Balow鈥檚 call came at the first meeting, which included five new board members who were appointed to the body by Youngkin. She also said the time would give staff more time to address corrections, including the absence of George Washington as 鈥淭he Father of the Country鈥� and James Madison as 鈥淭he Father of the Constitution.鈥�
That omission, which was , was an 鈥渋nadvertent鈥� error, according to the board.
The board鈥檚 president Daniel Gecker, who was appointed to the Board of Education by former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, joked about the news reports on the omission.
鈥淚t seems to have been picked up by the press as all of a sudden Virginia doesn’t want to recognize Washington and Madison, which, of course, is ridiculous,” Gecker said.
Other board members said the extra time can be used to address corrections.
鈥淵ou know, I’ve had a lot of phone calls the last couple of days about the, you know, we might think it’s funny, about the George Washington or James Madison issue; but just as an organization and as a commonwealth, these are the things, too, that can get this whole process off the rails if we’re not careful,鈥� said Bill Hansen, one of the newly appointed members of the board.
Some of the revisions in the proposed standards include more emphasis on local history and Virginia鈥檚 role in the American Revolution. It also includes a reference change, using 鈥淣orth America鈥檚 Indigenous Peoples鈥� instead of 鈥淣ative Americans.鈥� 鈥嬧��
The decision was made to delay for a month, with the board coming back in September for a 鈥渇irst review鈥� vote. That vote would pave the way for public hearings on the proposed revisions.
