By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – A new bill introduced in the Virginia House of Delegates would set limits on how public schools may teach about the events of Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol.

House Bill 333, introduced by Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, would allow local school boards to offer instruction related to Jan. 6 but establish specific requirements for how the event is described in classroom lessons and instructional materials.

Under the bill, any instruction on Jan. 6 would be required to describe the event as an unprecedented and violent attack on U.S. democratic institutions, government infrastructure, and representatives, carried out for the purpose of overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The legislation would prohibit schools from describing or portraying Jan. 6 as a peaceful protest. It would also bar instruction that states, suggests, or presents as credible claims that widespread election fraud occurred or that such fraud could have changed or did change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

The restrictions would apply only if a school board chooses to include instruction related to Jan. 6. The bill does not require public schools to teach about the event, does not mandate changes to statewide curriculum standards, and does not apply to private schools.

In a press release announcing the bill, Helmer’s office said the legislation is intended to allow teachers to “teach history, not propaganda,” by protecting how the events of Jan. 6 are presented in textbooks.

Jan. 6, 2021, marked the day Congress met to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, when a crowd breached the U.S. Capitol and disrupted the certification process. The events of that day have since prompted legislative proposals in multiple states related to how Jan. 6 is taught in public schools, including a proposal in New York that would amend state education law to require instruction on the events of Jan. 6 and its aftermath.

HB 333 does not create criminal penalties or establish enforcement mechanisms tied to classroom instruction. Instead, it places statutory limits on how the event may be characterized if it is included in a school’s instructional program.

The bill was introduced ahead of the 2026 Regular Session of the General Assembly, which is scheduled to convene Jan. 14.