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2015 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 935
Commending the Virginia Council for Private Education.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 25, 2015
Agreed to by the Senate, February 26, 2015

 

WHEREAS, the Virginia Council for Private Education was organized in 1974 to facilitate a statewide framework for communication and cooperation among private schools, public school counterparts, state and local governments, and other agencies and organizations in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Council for Private Education established a Commission on Accreditation in July 1985 “for the purpose of approving appropriate accreditation processes for nonpublic schools in order to secure recognition for those schools by the State Department of Education”; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Education ceased accrediting nonpublic schools, and at its meeting on April 25, 1985, recognized the accreditation process for nonpublic schools as administered through the Virginia Council for Private Education to be officially effective on July 1, 1987; and

WHEREAS, in 2000, the General Assembly enacted a statute granting oversight of private nursery, preschool, elementary, and secondary school accreditation to the Virginia Council for Private Education in the Code of Virginia and guaranteeing the quality of student credits transferring from state-recognized private schools to public schools and recognizing teacher licensure credits for time accrued in these private schools; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Council for Private Education, a private non-profit organization, was designed to provide a state function at no cost to the Commonwealth to demonstrate accountability, increase accessibility to, and encourage the development of high-quality and diverse private schools; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Council for Private Education continually develops its accreditation standards and processes through an extensive association peer review system that requires quality improvement, assures the public that the purpose and philosophy of private schools are being fulfilled, promotes professional development, improves student learning environments, and assures compliance with health and safety requirements at both the association and individual school levels; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Council for Private Education’s public commitment to accountability and high-quality educational opportunities for children in the Commonwealth is demonstrated through the diverse educational philosophies of each of its 14 state-recognized accrediting and four other-affiliated member associations: AdvancED, American Montessori Society, Association of Christian Teachers and Schools, Association of Christian Schools International, Association of Classical Christian Schools, Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States, Christian Schools International, Church Schools in the Diocese of Virginia, International Christian Accrediting Association, International League of Christian Schools, North American Christian School Accrediting Agency, Seventh Day Adventist Schools of the Potomac Conference, Southeastern District, Lutheran Schools–Missouri Synod, Southern Association of Independent Schools, Virginia Association of Independent Schools, Virginia Association of Independent Specialized Education Facilities, Virginia Catholic Education Association-Arlington and Richmond, Virginia Independent Schools Association, and the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend the Virginia Council for Private Education on the occasion of its 30th anniversary of accrediting private schools in the Commonwealth; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Virginia Council for Private Education as an expression of the General Assembly’s appreciation for its many contributions to education in the Commonwealth.