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1998 SESSION

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(HB478)

GOVERNOR'S VETO

    Pursuant to Article V, Section 6 of the Constitution of Virginia, I am vetoing House Bill No. 478.

    House Bill 478 would mandate the teaching of sex education in all public schools in Virginia. I believe that decision should be made by local communities and their local school boards.

    Last year, I traveled across the Commonwealth and talked with parents and community members in all parts of the State. Whenever the issue of sex education came up, I consistently expressed my confidence in local school boards to consult with the parents they serve on this issue. I consistently heard from parents that they prefer for this decision to be made by local school board members they know rather than bureaucrats and legislators in Richmond they don't know.

    Moreover, I believe it is imperative that we give our local school boards the flexibility they need to meet Virginia's high Standards of Accreditation. At a time when Virginia is getting back to academic basics and raising academic expectations for every student, it would be counterproductive to mandate all sorts of non-academic programs like sex education.

    For these reasons, I concur with the State Board of Education's decision last year to make sex education a local option, and I am returning House Bill No. 478 without my signature.