Historic Female Figure Removed from Texas Classrooms

A Roman goddess with an exposed breast prompted a Texas school district to remove a lesson about the state of Virginia. The decision raises questions about where the line should be drawn regarding historical nudity in education.

In Texas, the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (Lamar CISD) removed a full section about Virginia from its elementary curriculum. The reason: the state’s flag, which features the goddess Virtus with one breast exposed.

The content was part of the PebbleGo Next platform, used by students in grades 3 to 5. The image was found to violate the district’s updated policy prohibiting “visual depictions or illustrations of frontal nudity” in school materials.

The goddess Virtus has long been part of Virginia’s official imagery. She is shown standing over a defeated tyrant, holding a spear and sword, next to the motto “Sic semper tyrannis.” In Texas, however, her depiction is now considered inappropriate for young students.

This is not the first time that historical nudity in government-related imagery has come under scrutiny. Back in 2002, then-Attorney General John Ashcroft had a partially nude statue covered in the Department of Justice, at taxpayer expense.

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