Bill to require factual teaching about U.S. Capitol attack clears Va. General Assembly

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Education General Assembly 2026

Bill to require factual teaching about U.S. Capitol attack clears Va. General Assembly

Proposal passed on mostly party line votes in House, Senate; heads to governor

By: Nathaniel Cline - March 4, 2026
5:26 am

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Donald Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as people try to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Brent Stirton/Getty Images)

Virginia lawmakers on Monday passed a proposal that would require schools, if they teach students about the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to relay the facts of what actually happened, without including misinformation that the 2020 presidential election was stolen or that the attack was just a peaceful protest.

Since both the Senate and House advanced the measure, if Gov. Abigail Spanberger approves, it would take effect immediately and would dictate what and how Virginia’s public schools can instruct pupils regarding the Capitol attack, a major political event in the country’s recent history.

The attack, waged by supporters of then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in response to Congress certifying that Joe Biden won the election, had wide-ranging impacts on law enforcement, public discourse about democracy, and ongoing institutional, legal, and social repercussions.

“There is real concern that the President of the United States is trying to rewrite the history of January 6, (that is) borne out by the fact there’s a whitehouse.gov site that presents a false history of what happened that day,” House Bill 333 sponsor Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, said to the Mercury earlier during the session. ... “We just want to make sure that if school boards choose to teach on January 6, that they’re not presenting the false narrative that is out there.”

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Nathaniel Cline
Nathaniel is an award-winning journalist who's been covering news across the country since 2007, including politics at The Loudoun Times-Mirror and The Northern Neck News in Virginia as well as sports for The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio. He has also hosted podcasts, worked as a television analyst for Spectrum Sports, and appeared as a panelist for conferences and educational programs. A graduate of Bowie State University, Nathaniel grew up in Hawaii and the United Kingdom as a military brat. Five things he must have before leaving home: his cellphone, Black Panther water bottle, hand sanitizer, wedding ring and Philadelphia Eagles keychain.

Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

MORE FROM AUTHOR

[Grins]

1. That there has to be a law to do this...

Shorter :

“Virginia lawmakers passed a proposal that would require schools to (teach) the facts.”

The fact that it takes a law to do this?

I wonder how Virginia Republicans will vote…? (No, I don’t.)