SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2003 SESSION

  • | print version

SB 829 Cultural diversity policies;school boards;institutions of higher ed.

Introduced by: Henry L. Marsh III | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles

SUMMARY AS PASSED SENATE: (all summaries)

Cultural diversity policies for local school boards and institutions of higher education. Requires the Board of Education and public schools to promote the knowledge and appreciation of diverse racial and ethnic cultures, and language minority populations, particularly such cultures and populations represented in the public schools of the Commonwealth. The Board must establish guidelines to assist local school boards in implementing cultural diversity policies and must also identity best practices within and outside of the Commonwealth. The boards of visitors of each public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth and the State Board for Community Colleges must submit equal education opportunity plans to the State Council of Higher Education, the Governor, and the General Assembly on November 1 of each year. The plan requirements for the institutions of higher education will expire on July 1, 2008, the expiration date for the reporting and monitoring phase of the agreement signed by Governor Gilmore with the Office of Civil Rights of the United States Department of Education. This bill, which was a part of the legislative initiatives of the Commission on Access and Diversity in Higher Education in the 2002 Session, was favorably considered by the Commission this year.

This provision provides that "cultural diversity policies" must not be construed to require mandatory training of students or school board employees concerning cultural diversity, or to require hiring quotas or the employment of persons on the basis of race or ethnicity.


FULL TEXT

HISTORY