Editor, Gazette-Journal:

The youth of Mathews County are buzzing about their experiences listening to motivational speaker Jeff Yalden’s message about confidence, friendships and fitting in. The responses to his message have been overwhelmingly positive and sparked conversations about life for these youth.

As a native of Mathews and a graduate of its public schools, I can confidently say that these wholesome and important conversations are few and far between. However, now that the youth have been exposed to this meaningful and relevant information, their ears, eyes and hearts are open, ready to accept more.

This year’s General Assembly passed Senate Bill 101, making it permissible to add information on consent, healthy use of social media, and dating violence to Family Life Education curriculum taught in Virginia schools. Adding this evidence-based and age-appropriate information to the curriculum teaches students to advocate for their own safety and well-being. However...