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2003 SESSION

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

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

SUMMARY AS PASSED SENATE:

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.

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

Cultural diversity policies for local school boards and institutions of higher education. Requires the Board of Education, local school boards, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, and the Board for Community Colleges to promote racial, ethnic and cultural diversity and the knowledge and appreciation of other cultures in the public schools and institutions of higher education. The Board of Education and the State Council for Higher Education must establish guidelines for cultural diversity policies to assist local school boards and institutions of higher education in implementing such policies. In view of the growing number of immigrants in Virginia and the country, and given the current national security crisis concerning terrorism, cultural diversity policies instituted by local school boards and colleges and universities should be designed to (i) prepare students to live and participate effectively in a global community and an increasingly pluralistic society; (ii) facilitate racial harmony and tolerance; (iii) reduce barriers among individuals of different races and cultures through meaningful interaction; (iv) improve campus climate, student retention and the academic performance of students; (v) contribute to the robust exchange of ideas; (vi) reinforce the principle of the worth and value of all human beings; and (vi) increase the representation of minority persons in positions in which they have been traditionally underrepresented. The Board of Education and the State Council of Higher Education are also required to identify best practices, within and without Virginia, that effectively promote cultural diversity and the knowledge and appreciation of other cultures. The State Council of Higher Education's authority to provide advisory services regarding specific matters to certain private, accredited and nonprofit institutions of higher education has been broadened to include advisory services concerning cultural diversity policies. 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.