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Axios reports that the state seal of Virginia has been removed from use in Texas schools.
A Texas school district has reportedly taken down an online civics lesson about Virginia and its flag due to rules prohibiting frontal nudity, according to Axios.
Virginia’s flag showcases the state seal, which features the Roman goddess Virtus standing over a defeated tyrant. Consistent with classical art, Virtus is partially draped, with one breast exposed.
Axios reported on Friday that the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (CISD), located near Houston, Texas, has removed the Virginia lesson from an online platform for elementary students in grades three through five. The district confirmed this action in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from the Texas Freedom to Read Project.
Anne Russey, co-director of the group, stated that the district cited its recently implemented policy against “visual depictions or illustrations of frontal nudity” in elementary school library resources.
The removed content was part of PebbleGo Next, an educational website utilized by schools nationwide, including some in Virginia.
Virginia’s original 1776 state seal depicted Virtus in a toga and full breastplate. This imagery was adopted for the state flag in 1861, when the legislature placed the seal on a blue background to officially designate it as Virginia’s emblem. However, in 1901, a redesign introduced the bare-breasted figure after the secretary of the commonwealth criticized the earlier version for lacking “artistic grace and beauty” and appearing too masculine.
The current design, finalized in 1931, portrays Virtus wearing a helmet and holding a spear and sword above a defeated tyrant, accompanied by the state’s Latin motto Sic Semper Tyrannis – “Thus Always to Tyrants.”
The Texas Freedom to Read Project, an advocate against book bans and censorship, has criticized both the removal of the flag and the legislation that enabled it. The group describes state policies as “vague and confusing” on its website.
“Today, it’s the Virginia state flag. Tomorrow will it be books that contain historical photos…” the group stated.
Texas passed House Bill 900 in 2023, with the intention of preventing sexually explicit content from appearing on school bookshelves. State Senator Angela Paxton stated last month that children should not be exposed to “inappropriate, harmful material,” adding that “young brains cannot unsee what they see.”