Virginia Board of Education to discuss new draft history standards

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - The Virginia Board of Education is meeting once again to discuss the draft of history standards on Wednesday.

This comes just weeks after the third draft was released. The new draft incorporates input from more than 200 people over the last two years.

The changes come after the November version got a lot of backlash and public criticism over race and world history being excluded from the material.

For example, prominent figures like Jackie Robinson and Cesar Chavez were not mentioned in the November draft but were then added to the January draft.

The Department of Education says the revised standards recommend grade-level content that starts in kindergarten that “focus on essential skills, state and national symbols, and communities and culminates in high school with World History, Virginia and United States History, and Virginia and United States Government.”

The Board of Education is set to discuss the draft over the next two days.

Public hearings will be held in March before the final approval in April.

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