A school district outside of Houston, Texas, has pulled an online civics lesson about Virginia from its elementary school curriculum—because the image of the state flag includes a depiction of nudity.
The lesson, used by students in grades 3 through 5, featured the official Virginia state flag and seal, which shows the Roman goddess Virtus standing over a defeated tyrant. In the artwork, Virtus is partially draped and one breast is exposed—consistent with classical representations of Roman deities.
According to Axios Richmond, Lamar Consolidated Independent School District confirmed the change through a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the Texas Freedom to Read Project. The district cited its policy banning “visual depictions or illustrations of frontal nudity” in any elementary school library material.
The lesson was part of an online platform called PebbleGo Next, which is used in several districts across the country—including some in Virginia.
Virginia’s flag has included the Virtus imagery since it was first adopted in 1861. The current version, finalized in 1931, features the state motto “Sic Semper Tyrannis,” which means “Thus Always to Tyrants.”
While the Texas school district hasn’t commented publicly, Axios and the New York Post both report the change has drawn national attention—and renewed conversations about what qualifies as age-appropriate content in schools.
There’s no word yet if other school systems using the same platform are making similar decisions.
