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2024 SESSION

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Senate Committee on Education and Health
Subcommittee Public Education

VanValkenburg (Chair), Locke, Peake, Pekarsky, Craig

Clerk: Hobie Lehman, Madison Odallo
Staff: Julia Carlton
Date of Meeting: January 25, 2024
Time and Place: 30 minutes after the Senate adjourns/Senate Room C, GAB 3rd floor
https://virginia-senate.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=3

S.B. 72

Patron: McPike


Board of Education; creation and maintenance of Virginia Parent Data Portal. Requires the Board of Education, on or before July 1, 2025, to create and maintain the Virginia Parent Data Portal that, among other things, (i) displays individualized student assessment data on all state-supported assessments, as that term is defined in the bill, (a) in a format that shows both current and cumulative data over time and (b) within 45 days of a state-supported assessment window closing for each state-supported assessment; (ii) provides a description of the purpose of each state-supported assessment, an explanation of how to interpret student data on each state-supported assessment, and a comparison of a student's performance on each state-supported assessment with the performance of the student's school, the student's school division, and the Commonwealth; (iii) is viewable from a mobile device in addition to a desktop computer; and (iv) provides functionality to enable school division personnel to manage and restrict user access to students and their parents.

The bill requires the Board and the Department of Education to provide certain guidance and technical assistance to local school divisions on professional development for principals and teachers in parent engagement on and interpretation of student assessment data available through the Portal and requires each school board to annually provide high-quality professional development to principals and teachers on such topics. 

The bill satisfies the reenactment requirement of Chapter 652 of the Acts of Assembly of 2023.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 22.1-1, as it is currently effective and as it shall become effective, 22.1-253.13:3, and 22.1-253.13:5, as it is currently effective and as it shall become effective, of the Code of Virginia, relating to Board of Education; creation and maintenance of Virginia Parent Data Portal; report.

24102892D

S.B. 96

Patron: Stanley


Special education; Parental Behavior Technician Registration and Participation Pilot Program; established. Establishes the Parental Behavior Technician Registration and Participation Pilot Program (the Pilot Program), to be developed and administered by the Board of Education in collaboration with the Department of Health and the Advisory Board on Behavioral Analysis, for the purpose of assisting parents of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with becoming a registered behavior technician (RBT) in order to provide assistance to their children both in the classroom as a volunteer under the supervision of a licensed behavior analyst or other qualified Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) individual and outside the classroom in the home environment. The bill provides that the Pilot Program shall assist any eligible parent, defined as any parent of a child with ASD who is enrolled in a public school in the Commonwealth and receives special education, by (i) providing assistance, resources, and support to any eligible parent in meeting the requirements to receive an RBT credential and (ii) coordinating with the school board of the school division in which the child of an RBT-credentialed parent is enrolled to set up a volunteer position for the parent to provide assistance as an RBT in his child's special education program under the supervision of a licensed behavior analyst or other qualified ABA individual. The bill provides that funds appropriated for the at-risk add-on or for support services from basic school aid, pursuant to relevant law, may be used to fund the Pilot Program. Finally, the bill requires the Board of Education to report annually to the Governor and the Generally Assembly by October 1 of each year for the duration of the Pilot Program on the progress of the Pilot Program. The provisions of the bill expire on July 1, 2027.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1-215.3, relating to special education; Parental Behavior Technician Registration and Participation Pilot Program; established.

24102048D

S.B. 142

Patron: Ruff

Public school teachers; licensure requirements; one-year local eligibility license; alternate routes and flexibility; report. Requires the Board of Education to include in its teacher licensure regulations provisions authorizing each school board to, upon recommendation of the division superintendent and in accordance with the criteria set forth in the bill, issue a one-year local eligibility license that is only valid within the issuing school division and renewable for no more than one additional year to any individual who (i) received a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education, (ii) has experience or training in a subject or content area as the school board and division superintendent may deem appropriate for the applicable teaching position or endorsement area, and (iii) is not seeking to provide instruction in special education or eligible for collegiate professional or postgraduate professional licensure. The bill establishes several requirements, criteria, and conditions relating to a local eligibility license, including criteria and requirements relating to probationary terms of employment, eligibility for receiving a collegiate professional or postgraduate professional license after the expiration of the one-year eligibility license, and conditions that must be met before attaining continuing contract status. Finally, the bill requires the Board of Education to convene a work group to make recommendations on revising teacher licensure requirements to increase flexibility in licensure requirements and alternate routes to licensure and improve teacher recruitment and retention. The work group is required to submit a report on such recommendations to the Governor, the Senate Committee on Education and Health, and the House Committee on Education by November 1, 2024.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 22.1-298.1, as it shall become effective, 22.1-299, and 22.1-303 of the Code of Virginia, relating to public school teachers; licensure requirements; one-year local eligibility license; alternate routes and flexibility; report.

24103530D

S.B. 199

Patron: Diggs

High school graduation requirements; satisfaction of certain course credits with workforce credentials; development and maintenance of list of accepted credentials. Requires the Board of Education, in collaboration with the Virginia Community College System, to develop and maintain a current, comprehensive, and uniform list of industry-recognized workforce credentials that students may take as a substitute for certain units of credit required for graduation, including such credentials that are accepted as substitutes for (i) laboratory science credits or (ii) electives credits. The bill provides that such list uniformly applies across each local school division and that each school board is required to accept as a substitute for a required credit any credential listed as an accepted substitute for such required credit. The bill also requires any College and Career Access Pathways Partnership entered into between a school board and a comprehensive community college to specify, consistent with the list, industry-recognized credentials that are accepted as substitutes for certain credits required for high school graduation. Finally, the bill requires the Board, in establishing graduation requirements, to permit any student to substitute (i) three standard units of credit and one verified credit in laboratory science or (ii) credits for electives for completion of any industry-approved workforce credential that is included on the list as an accepted substitute for such credits.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 22.1-253.13:1, as it shall become effective, and 22.1-253.13:4 of the Code of Virginia, relating to high school graduation requirements; satisfaction of certain course credits with workforce credentials; development and maintenance of list of accepted credentials.

24101786D

S.B. 220

Patron: Favola


Special education and related services; definitions; records retention; duties of Department of Education; parent engagement specialists; professional development; education preparation program coursework. Makes several changes relating to special education and related services for children with disabilities in public elementary and secondary schools in the Commonwealth, including (i) establishing a definition for "individualized education program" or "IEP"; (ii) requiring, after a child with a disability graduates from, ages out of, or otherwise leaves any public elementary or secondary school in the Commonwealth, such school to retain the special education records of such child for at least 75 years; (iii) requiring each local school board to (a) provide high-quality professional development in instructional practices to support specially designed instruction in inclusive settings, as that term is defined in the bill, for certain teachers and administrators employed in the local school division and (b) employ at least one full-time equivalent special education parent engagement specialist to serve as a resource to parents to understand and engage in the referral, evaluation, and eligibility process if they suspect that their child has a disability and to understand and engage in the IEP process; (iv) requiring the Department of Education, among other things, to (a) establish eight regional special education parent support centers that are each staffed by a regional special education parent ombudsman and coordinate with such division special education parent engagement specialists employed by each local school board; (b) elevate the position of State Parent Ombudsman for Special Education to perform certain functions, including systematically tracking and reporting questions and concerns raised by parents to the Superintendent of Public Instruction and coordinating the activities of such regional special education parent support centers; and (c) develop, establish, review and update as necessary at least once every five years, make available to each local school board an IEP writing, facilitation, tracking, and transfer system to be referred to as the Virginia IEP; and (v) requiring each education preparation program offered by a public institution of higher education or private institution of higher education or alternative certification program that provides training for any student seeking initial licensure by the Board of Education with certain endorsements to include a program of coursework and require all such students to demonstrate mastery in instructional practices to support specially designed instruction in inclusive settings.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 22.1-213, 22.1-214.4, 22.1-253.13:2, as it shall become effective, 22.1-253.13:4, 22.1-253.13:5, as it shall become effective, 22.1-289, and 23.1-902.1, as it shall become effective, of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1-214.5, relating to special education and related services; definitions; records retention; duties of Department of Education; parent engagement specialists; professional development; education preparation program coursework.

24104579D

S.B. 225

Patron: Pekarsky

School board policies; parental notification; safe storage of firearms in the household. Requires each local school board to develop and implement a policy to require the annual notification of the parent of each student enrolled in the local school division, to be sent by email and SMS text message within 30 calendar days succeeding the first day of each school year, of the parent's legal responsibility to safely store any firearm present in the household, risks associated with improperly stored firearms, statistics relating to firearm-related accidents, injuries, and death among youth, and other tips and strategies. The bill requires each school board to make such parental notification available in multiple languages on its website.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-79.3 of the Code of Virginia, relating to school board policies; parental notification; safe storage of firearms in the household.

24104957D

S.B. 227

Patron: Hashmi


Public school funding; certain calculations; certain support services positions; programs for at-risk students. Places several parameters on Standards of Quality funding calculations performed by the Department of Education, including (i) requiring the Department, when calculating the cost of salaries under the Standards of Quality funding formula, to include facilities staff and transportation staff salaries in the calculation of any cost of competing adjustment to salaries for instructional and support positions that is provided as part of the state share of basic aid pursuant to the general appropriation act; (ii) requiring the Department, when estimating the cost of any compensation supplement for instructional and support positions under the Standards of Quality funding formula, to include and estimate the cost of such a compensation supplement for facilities staff; (iii) prohibiting the Department from applying any cap on inflation rate adjustments to non-personal cost categories during the biennial process of rebenchmarking the direct aid to public education budget; and (iv) requiring the Department to utilize a three-year average of the most recently available data to calculate the composite index of local ability-to-pay for each school division. The bill also amends Standard of Quality 2 by (a) including in the definition of "support services position" any central office clerical position that is not otherwise set forth in such definition, (b) requiring a per-pupil Standards of Quality funding add-on to be provided for English language learner and special education students, (c) requiring, in addition to the positions supported by basic aid, state funding, pursuant to the general appropriation act, to be provided to cover the actual average school division cost to educate children with disabilities, and (d) establishing the At-Risk Program, defined in the bill as any state funding provided for programs of prevention, intervention, or remediation or pursuant to the at-risk add-on for the purpose of supporting programs for students who are educationally at risk. The bill requires (1) the determination of the amount of state funding for which a school division is eligible pursuant to such At-Risk Program to be based on the school division's identified student percentage, defined in the bill as the fraction, expressed as a percentage, that results from dividing the number of identified students enrolled in a school division by the total number of students enrolled in such school division, weighted by the factor of 1.5, and then adjusted by the addition of a percentage that corrects for undercounting English language learner students as identified students and (2) such funding to be distributed as follows: 60 percent on a flat per-student rate and 40 percent on a variable rate set out in the general appropriation act based on the concentration of poverty in the school division.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 22.1-199.1, 22.1-253.13:2, as it shall become effective, and 51.1-617 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1-98.3, relating to public school funding; certain calculations; certain support services positions; programs for at-risk students.

24104668D

S.B. 228

Patron: Hashmi

Public school funding; English language learner students and children with disabilities. Requires, in addition to the positions supported by basic aid, state funding, pursuant to the general appropriation act, to be provided to cover (i) the actual average school division cost to educate children with disabilities and (ii) a per-pupil Standards of Quality funding add-on for English language learner and special education students.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-253.13:2, as it shall become effective, of the Code of Virginia, relating to public school funding; English language learner students and children with disabilities.

24104669D

S.B. 264

Patron: Craig

Department of Education; school boards; student online activity; data collection, monitoring, and restrictions. Requires the Department of Education to establish, and each school board to adhere to, (i) requirements relating to the collection of data on student online activity and the monitoring of student online activity by school boards and school board employees, including requirements to disclose to the parents of enrolled students what student online activity is tracked and monitored on school or personal devices on school property and what data on student online activity is being collected on school or personal devices and (ii) a requirement to set the most restrictive age-appropriate limits on student access to social media platforms, YouTube and other video platforms, and search engines and other search features on school devices and permit the parents of each enrolled student to waive such limits for their child by submitting a written request to the school division. The bill also requires the Department to establish and distribute to each school board a template that each such school board is required to use to (a) make certain disclosures to the parents of enrolled students relating to student online activity tracking or monitoring and the collection of data on such activity and (b) permit the parents of each enrolled student to opt their child out of any such tracking, monitoring, or collection.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1-23.4, relating to Department of Education; school boards; student online activity; data collection, monitoring, and restrictions.

24104680D

S.B. 272

Patron: Hashmi

Public school staffing ratios; teachers; English language learner students. Requires state funding to be provided pursuant to the general appropriation act to support divisionwide ratios of English language learner students in average daily membership to full-time equivalent teaching positions as follows: (i) for each English language learner identified as proficiency level one, one position per 25 students; (ii) for each English language learner identified as proficiency level two, one position per 30 students; (iii) for each English language learner identified as proficiency level three, one position per 40 students; and (iv) for all other English language learners, one position per 50 students. Current law requires state funding to be provided pursuant to the general appropriation act to support one such teaching position per 50 English language learner students, regardless of the identified English proficiency level of such students.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-253.13:2, as it shall become effective, of the Code of Virginia, relating to public school staffing ratios; teachers; English language learner students.

24104762D

S.B. 379

Patron: Boysko

Public high schools; research-based hazing prevention instruction. Requires each local school board to develop a program of research-based hazing prevention instruction to be provided to students in grade nine or 10 as a part of their physical and health education. The bill requires such hazing prevention instruction to include age-appropriate, extensive and current education about hazing, including (i) examples of hazing; (ii) the dangers of hazing, including the consequences of alcohol intoxication; and (iii) school policies and laws related to hazing, including criminal penalties and bystander intervention. The bill requires such research-based hazing prevention instruction to be offered in-person and, for any student who is enrolled in an online or virtual physical or health education program, virtually. The bill also directs the Board of Education to incorporate such hazing prevention instruction into the Standards of Learning for physical and health education for students in grade nine or 10. Under current law, activities designed to prevent the recurrence of violence and crime, including hazing, is required but no time frame is specified nor specific program on hazing prevention required as part of the Standards of Learning. The bill requires such research-based hazing prevention instruction to be implemented beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 22.1-207, 22.1-253.13:1, as it shall become effective, and 22.1-279.9 of the Code of Virginia, relating to public high schools; research-based hazing prevention instruction.

24104596D

S.B. 387

Patron: Pekarsky


Public elementary and secondary schools; policies and requirements relating to naloxone. Requires each local school board to develop, in accordance with the guidelines developed by the Department of Health in collaboration with the Department of Education, plans and policies for each public elementary and secondary school relating to opioid overdose prevention and reversal, including (i) the procurement, storage, and maintenance of at least two unexpired doses of naloxone at each such school; (ii) the possession and administration of naloxone by school board employees; and (iii) providing, pursuant to the provisions of the bill, immunity from any disciplinary action or civil or criminal liability to any employee of a public elementary or secondary school who, regardless of whether such employee was trained and certified in the administration of naloxone, in good faith administers naloxone for opioid overdose reversal to any individual who is believed to be experiencing or about to experience a life-threatening opioid overdose, except in the case of gross negligence or willful misconduct.

The bill modifies the list of individuals who are authorized to administer naloxone or other opioid antagonists to include any school board employee who has completed training and is certified in the administration of naloxone by an organization authorized by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to provide such training and certification. Current law limits such authorization to school nurses or school board employees contracted by a school board to provide school health services.

Finally, the bill directs the Department of Health and the Department of Education to collaborate to develop guidelines and policies for the implementation of the provisions of the bill and directs the Department of Education to submit such guidelines to relevant committees of the General Assembly by January 1, 2025. The bill requires such guidelines and policies to be implemented by each school board by the beginning of the 2026–2027 school year.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 54.1-3408 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1-274.4:1, relating to public elementary and secondary schools; policies and requirements relating to naloxone.

24104969D

S.B. 395

Patron: Pekarsky

Public elementary and secondary schools; student athletes; pre-participation mental health assessment required. Provides that no public elementary or secondary school student is permitted to be a participant on or try out for any school athletic team or squad with a predetermined roster, regular practices, and scheduled competitions with other elementary or secondary schools unless such student has submitted to the school principal a signed report from a licensed physician, licensed advanced practice registered nurse, or licensed physician assistant acting under the supervision of a licensed physician attesting that such student has, within the preceding 365 days, received both a physical examination and a mental health assessment. Current law only requires that the signed report attest that any such student has received a physical examination within the preceding 12 months. The bill prohibits any public elementary or secondary school from becoming a member of any organization or entity that regulates or governs interscholastic programs that does not deem eligible for participation any student who has satisfied the requirements for eligibility in accordance with the provisions of the bill. The provisions of the bill other than the requirement for the Board of Education to convene a work group have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-271.7 of the Code of Virginia, relating to public elementary and secondary schools; student athletes; pre-participation mental health assessment required.

24102782D

S.B. 434

Patron: Suetterlein

Public schools; instructional time. Makes several changes relating to student instructional time in public elementary and secondary schools, including (i) defining "instructional hour" for the purpose of minimum annual instructional hour requirements; (ii) establishing several provisions and requirements relating to the enrollment of part-time students in public elementary and secondary schools; (iii) requiring the Board of Education to adopt rules for approving alternative programs for which course credit may be granted for the purpose of satisfying high school graduation requirements to any student who completes such course and masters the course content by demonstrating at least 80 percent of the competencies required by course standards, regardless of time, place, or pace; and (iv) permitting school boards that govern school divisions of innovation to adopt instructional time models that allow students to personalize the pace of learning and accelerate their learning based on the mastery of course content by demonstrating at least 80 percent of the competencies required by course standards, regardless of time, place, or pace.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 22.1-2.1, 22.1-200.2, 22.1-207.8, 22.1-212.28, 22.1-212.29, and 23.1-905.1 of the Code of Virginia; to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1-200.3 and by adding in Article 1.5 of Chapter 13 of Title 22.1 a section numbered 22.1-212.33; and to repeal §§ 22.1-212.30, 22.1-212.31, and 22.1-212.32 of the Code of Virginia, relating to public schools; instructional time.

24104373D

S.B. 443

Patron: Durant

Public schools; transfer and management of scholastic records; disclosure of information in court notices; transfer of disciplinary records; requirements. Requires the superintendent of any school division to, upon receiving notification of the disposition in a delinquency case concerning a student who is not enrolled in such school division, forward such notification to the superintendent of the school division where such student is enrolled or where such student intends to enroll, as evidenced by the receipt of a request from the other school division for such student's scholastic records. Current law only permits the superintendent of any such school division to forward such notification to the superintendent of the school division in which the student is currently enrolled. The bill also requires a copy of the complete student disciplinary records of any student transferring from one school division to another to be transferred to the school division to which such student is transferring, upon request from such school division.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 16.1-305.1 and 22.1-289 of the Code of Virginia, relating to public schools; transfer and management of scholastic records; disclosure of information in court notices; transfer of disciplinary records; requirements.

24103959D

S.B. 445

Patron: Durant

Veterans and active duty members of the Armed Forces; teachers; credit for service. Requires each local school board to give any veteran or active duty member of any of the Armed Forces of the United States or the Commonwealth who it employs as a teacher in the local school division credit for any time served in any such forces in determining such teacher's step on the local school division's teacher salary scale.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1-289.3, relating to veterans and active duty members of the Armed Forces; teachers; credit for service.

24100267D

S.B. 474

Patron: Obenshain

Virginia Public School Construction Grants Program and Fund; career and technical education programs eligible. Directs the Board of Education to revise the guidelines on the administration of the Virginia Public School Construction Grants Program to explicitly clarify that grants provided to a qualifying school division under the Program may be used for construction, additions, infrastructure, site acquisition, and renovations for buildings and facilities used for career and technical education programs provided at a regional comprehensive school. The bill also provides that "public school buildings and facilities" or "public school buildings" for the purposes of the Program includes any school building or facility used for career and technical education programs provided at any regional comprehensive school.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-175.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Virginia Public School Construction Grants Program and Fund; career and technical education programs eligible.

24103371D

S.B. 484

Patron: Aird

Public schools; certain local school divisions; youth and community violence prevention; Community Builders Pilot Program and Fund established; report. Establishes the Community Builders Pilot Program and Fund for the purpose of reducing youth involvement in behaviors that lead to gun violence and increasing community engagement among public school students by providing to students who are entering the eighth grade and enrolled in Roanoke City Public Schools and Petersburg City Public Schools opportunities during the school year after regular school hours and during the summer months for community engagement, workforce development, postsecondary education exploration, and social-emotional education and development. The bill provides that the school boards of Roanoke City Public Schools and Petersburg City Public Schools shall be responsible for the administration of the Program and are directed to collect data and report to the Governor and relevant committees of the General Assembly by November 1 of each year on the progress of the Program. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2027.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1-211.1, relating to public schools; certain local school divisions; youth and community violence prevention; Community Builders Pilot Program and Fund established; report.

24104736D

S.B. 498

Patron: Carroll Foy

School-connected overdoses; policies relating to parental notification and response; requirements. Requires each division superintendent or his designee to notify the parent of each student in the local school division of any school-connected overdose, defined as any verified overdose that occurs on school premises during or after regular school hours or during school-sanctioned activities whether on or off school premises, within 24 hours of learning of the overdose and to include in such notification as much information as is known about the circumstances surrounding the overdose. The bill requires the Board of Education to establish guidelines for school-connected overdose response and parental notification policies, including (a) a model action plan for each school board to follow in responding to the overdose, including communicating and coordinating with the Department of Education and the local law-enforcement liaison or local law-enforcement agency that employs the school resource officers for such school division, and (b) criteria for issuing the parental notification to ensure sensitivity to the privacy interests of any affected individuals.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1-272.1:1, relating to school-connected overdoses; policies relating to parental notification and response; requirements.

24104503D

S.B. 518

Patron: Williams Graves

Public high schools; personnel; college and career specialist required. Requires each school board to employ at least one college and career specialist, as defined in the bill, in each public high school in the local school division. The bill provides that each such individual shall be employed in addition to and not as a replacement for the required school counselor positions, specialized student support positions, or support services positions.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-253.13:2, as it shall become effective, of the Code of Virginia, relating to public elementary and secondary schools; personnel; high school college and career specialist required.

24101836D

S.B. 563

Patron: Hackworth

Public education; dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment; high school graduation. Makes several changes relating to graduation from a public high school in the Commonwealth, including (i) eliminating the requirement for a student to complete one virtual course in order to graduate from high school and (ii) specifying that various options and requirements relating to earning career and technical education credentials for the purpose of satisfying high school graduation requirements are required to be high-demand career and technical education credentials. The bill also defines and thereby distinguishes the concepts of dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment in the context of high school students' participation in college-level coursework and requires the agreements for postsecondary attainment between school boards and comprehensive community colleges to specify the credit available for dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment courses.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 22.1-1, 22.1-206.3, and 22.1-253.13:1, as they shall become effective, 22.1-253.13:3, 22.1-253.13:4, 23.1-100, 23.1-301, 23.1-506, 23.1-509, 23.1-905.1, 23.1-907, 23.1-908, 23.1-1002, 23.1-2904, and 23.1-2906.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to public education; dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment; high school graduation.

24104494D

S.B. 586

Patron: Pekarsky

Public elementary and secondary schools; student discipline; evidence-based restorative disciplinary practices. Prohibits, except in certain cases involving firearms, drugs, adjudications of delinquency, or convictions of certain crimes, any public elementary or secondary school student from being suspended, expelled, or excluded from attendance at school without consideration of first implementing at least one evidence-based restorative disciplinary practice such as community conferencing, community service, mentoring, a peer jury, peer mediation, positive behavioral interventions and supports, a restorative circle, or the Virginia Tiered Systems of Supports.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 22.1-276.01, 22.1-277, and 22.1-279.6 of the Code of Virginia, relating to public elementary and secondary schools; student discipline; evidence-based restorative disciplinary practices.

24103157D

S.B. 608

Patrons: Aird, Pekarsky

Public education; community schools; Office of Community Schools at Department of Education; Community School Development and Implementation Planning Grant; Community School Coordinator Program; state goal. Requires the Department of Education to establish the Office of Community Schools as an office within the Department for the purpose of supporting the development and growth of community schools throughout the Commonwealth in accordance with the Virginia Community School Framework and requires the Office to establish and administer (i) the Community School Development and Implementation Planning Grant for the purpose of providing grants to school boards that seek to designate any school within the local school division as a community school to assist with the planning and implementation of such designation and (ii) the Community School Coordinator Program for the purpose of providing funding to school boards that previously completed a planning grant and now seek to employ or hire through contracted services with a qualified nonprofit organization a community school coordinator to oversee any community school designated in the local school division. The bill also establishes a state goal of prioritizing funding for such initiatives and grant programs to enable their expansion to serve the top 33 percent of public elementary and secondary schools in the Commonwealth for highest identified student percentage, as defined in the bill, based on data from the immediately preceding school year.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-199.7 of the Code of Virginia, relating to public education; community schools; Office of Community Schools at Department of Education; Community School Development and Implementation Planning Grant; Community School Coordinator Program; state goal.

24104575D

S.B. 609

Patrons: Aird, Roem


Public school funding; At-Risk Program established. Establishes the At-Risk Program, defined in the bill as any state funding provided for programs of prevention, intervention, or remediation or pursuant to the at-risk add-on for the purpose of supporting programs for students who are educationally at risk. The bill requires (i) the determination of the amount of state funding for which a school division is eligible pursuant to the At-Risk Program to be based on the school division's identified student percentage, defined in the bill as the fraction, expressed as a percentage, that results from dividing the number of identified students enrolled in a school division by the total number of students enrolled in such school division, weighted by the factor of 1.5, and then adjusted by the addition of a percentage that corrects for undercounting English language learner students as identified students and (ii) such funding to be distributed as follows: 60 percent on a flat per-student rate and 40 percent on a variable rate set out in the general appropriation act based on the concentration of poverty in the school division. The bill provides that any school division that would have received more state funds for the at-risk add-on and programs of prevention, intervention, or remediation than it would pursuant to the consolidation of such state funding sources under the At-Risk Program established in the bill shall be held harmless and shall not have its share of such state funding reduced, effective for the 2024–2025 school year through the 2026–2027 school year.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 22.1-199.1, 22.1-253.13:2, as it shall become effective, and 51.1-617 of the Code of Virginia, relating to public school funding; certain calculations; certain support services positions; At-Risk Program established.

24104574D

S.B. 624

Patron: Lucas

Public education; student literacy measures. Clarifies several provisions of the Virginia Literacy Act (the Act), enacted during the 2022 Regular Session of the General Assembly and effective with the 2024-2025 school year, including (i) clarifying that the term "evidence-based literacy instruction" does not include practices that instruct students to gain meaning from print through the use of (a) three-cueing, which includes semantic, syntactic, and graphophonic cues; (b) meaning, structure, and visual cues; or (c) visual memory for word recognition; (ii) removing the option to use a literacy screener approved by the Department of Education for certain purposes enumerated in the Act; (iii) requiring the Department to develop a list of core literacy curricula for students in kindergarten through grade five and supplemental instruction practices and programs and intervention programs for students in kindergarten through grade eight that consist of evidence-based literacy instruction aligned with science-based reading research; and (iv) requiring each divisionwide literacy plan to address how the local school board will align (a) core reading and literacy curriculum for students in kindergarten through grade five and (b) screening, supplemental instruction, and interventions for students in kindergarten through grade eight with evidence-based literacy instruction practices aligned with science-based reading research.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 22.1-1, 22.1-253.13:1, and 22.1-253.13:6, as they shall become effective, of the Code of Virginia, relating to public education; student literacy measures.

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S.B. 627

Patron: Lucas

Department of Education and Virginia Community College System; College and Career Ready Virginia Program and Fund established. Establishes the College and Career Ready Virginia Fund and requires the Department of Education and the Virginia Community College System to establish the College and Career Ready Virginia Program whereby each school board is required to offer each qualified high school student in the local school division access at the high school to the dual enrollment courses that are sufficient to complete the Passport Program and the former Uniform Certificate of General Studies Program, renamed in the bill as the Passport Plus Program, at a public institution of higher education at no cost to such students. The bill establishes several enumerated duties for the Department and the System in the administration of the College and Career Ready Virginia Program, including the establishment of a work group to make recommendations no later than November 1, 2024, on the incorporation of a career and technical education program of coursework into the College and Career Ready Virginia Program.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 22.1-1, 22.1-206.3, and 22.1-253.13:1, as they shall become effective, 23.1-100, 23.1-203, 23.1-905.1, 23.1-907, 23.1-908, 23.1-2904, and 23.1-3137 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 13 of Title 22.1 an article numbered 5.1, consisting of sections numbered 22.1-237.1 through 22.1-237.5, relating to Department of Education and Virginia Community College System; College and Career Ready Virginia Program and Fund established.

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S.B. 726

Patron: Pillion


Public secondary schools; naloxone procurement, possession, and administration; school board employee training and certification; opioid overdose prevention and reversal instruction; guidelines and requirements. Requires each local school board to develop, in accordance with the guidelines developed by the Department of Health in collaboration with the Department of Education, plans and policies for each secondary school that includes grades nine through 12 relating to opioid overdose prevention and reversal, including: (i) the procurement, storage, and maintenance of at least two unexpired doses of naloxone at each such secondary school; (ii) the possession and administration of naloxone by school board employees authorized to and trained and certified in the administration of naloxone and the employment of at least one such school board employee at each such secondary school; and (iii) the development and implementation of an opioid overdose prevention and reversal program of instruction to be completed by each student as a part of the high school graduation requirements.

The bill also requires each local school board to place at least two doses of naloxone in every public secondary school that includes grades nine through 12 in the local school division and to provide replacement doses as necessary. The bill requires each such secondary school to, pursuant to the policies developed by the Department of Health and the Department of Education, (a) ensure that at least one faculty or staff member is authorized to and trained and certified in the administration of naloxone and (b) provide an opioid overdose prevention and reversal program of instruction to be completed by each student as a high school graduation requirement.

In addition, the bill modifies the school board employees who are authorized to administer naloxone or other opioid antagonists to include any school board employee who has completed training and is certified in the administration of naloxone by an organization authorized by DBHDS to provide such training and certification. Current law limits such authorization to school nurses or school board employees contracted by a school board to provide school health services.

Finally, the bill directs the Department of Health and the Department of Education to collaborate to develop guidelines and policies for the implementation of the provisions of the bill and for the Department of Education to submit such guidelines to the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Education, the Senate Committee on Education and Health, and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations by January 1, 2025. The bill requires such guidelines and policies to be implemented by each school board by the beginning of the 2026–2027 school year.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 22.1-253.13:4 and 54.1-3408 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding sections numbered 22.1-206.01 and 22.1-274.4:1, relating to public secondary schools; naloxone procurement, possession, and administration; school board employee training and certification; opioid overdose prevention and reversal instruction; guidelines and requirements.

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