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2020 SESSION

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Senate Committee on Education and Health
Subcommittee Public Education

Hashmi (Chair), Howell, Locke, Dunnavant, Peake

Clerk: Patty Lung, Catherine Dent
Date of Meeting: January 23, 2020
Time and Place: 30 Minutes after Adj. Subcommittee Room 2 5th Floor Pocahontas

S.B. 129 Public schools; firearm safety education program.

Patron: Norment

Public schools; firearm safety education program. Requires local school boards to provide firearm safety education programs for students in all grades. The bill requires (i) the Board of Education to establish curriculum guidelines for the program, in consultation with the Department of Criminal Justice Services; (ii) school boards to offer a minimum of two hours of instruction consistent with such guidelines; and (iii) that the program be taught by a school resource officer, other law-enforcement officer, or a United States Armed Forces instructor. The bill prohibits the use of firearms in the program. Current law allows local school boards to provide a firearm safety education program for students in the elementary grades and does not specify who may instruct such program.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-204.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to public schools; firearm safety education program.

20102684D

S.B. 151 School personnel; staffing ratios, school nurses.

Patron: Stuart

School personnel; staffing ratios; school nurses. Excludes school nurse positions from requirements for student support positions and instead requires each local school board to employ at least one full-time equivalent school nurse position in each elementary school, middle school, and high school in the local school division or at least one full-time equivalent school nurse position per 550 students in grades kindergarten through 12.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 22.1-253.13:2 and 22.1-274 of the Code of Virginia, relating to school personnel; staffing ratios; school nurses.

20101419D

S.B. 170 Public schools; school resource officers and school security officers, data.

Patron: Locke

Public schools; school resource officers and school security officers; data. Requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services, in coordination with the Department of Education and the Department of Juvenile Justice, to annually collect, report, and publish data related to incidents involving students and school resource officers or school security officers. The bill also requires the Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety to analyze and disseminate submitted data.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 9.1-184 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1-279.10, relating to school resource officers and school security officers; data.

20103257D

S.B. 171 School resource officers and school security officers; training standards.

Patron: Locke

School resource officers and school security officers; training standards. Requires school resource officers and school security officers to receive training specific to the role and responsibility of a law-enforcement officer working with students in a school environment that includes training on (i) relevant state and federal laws; (ii) school and personal liability issues; (iii) security awareness in the school environment; (iv) mediation and conflict resolution, including de-escalation techniques; (v) disaster and emergency response; (vi) awareness of cultural diversity and implicit bias; (vii) working with students with disabilities, mental health needs, substance abuse disorders, or past traumatic experiences; and (viii) student behavioral dynamics, including current child and adolescent development and brain research.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 9.1-102 of the Code of Virginia, relating to school resource officers and school security officers; training standards.

20103259D

S.B. 237 School attendance officers; petitions for violation of a school attendance order.

Patron: Barker

School attendance officers; petitions for violation of a school attendance order. Provides that an attendance officer, or a division superintendent or his designee when acting as an attendance officer, may complete, sign, and file a petition for a violation of a school attendance order in response to the filing of a petition alleging the pupil is a child in need of supervision with the intake officer of the juvenile and domestic relations district court on a form approved by the Virginia Supreme Court.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-258 of the Code of Virginia, relating to school attendance officers; petitions for violation of a school attendance order.

20101798D

S.B. 323 High school graduation requirements; advanced diploma, standard units of credit.

Patron: Barker

High school graduation requirements; advanced diploma; standard units of credit; certain substitutions. Requires the Board of Education, in establishing high school graduation requirements, to pemit any student who is pursuing an advanced studies diploma to substitute two standard units of credit in computer science for two standard units of credit in a foreign language.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-253.13:4 of the Code of Virginia, relating to high school graduation requirements; advanced diploma; standard units of credit; certain substitutions.

20103316D

S.B. 327 School boards, certain; cost of competing adjustment, eligibility.

Patron: Lewis

Cost of competing adjustment; eligibility; certain school boards. Declares the Accomack County School Board and the Northampton County School Board eligible to receive the cost of competing adjustment to salaries for instructional and support positions as part of the state share of basic aid pursuant to the general appropriation act.

A BILL to declare the Accomack County School Board and the Northampton County School Board eligible to receive the cost of competing adjustment.

20104112D

S.B. 366 Learning management system; Department of Education to obtain for public schools.

Patron: Dunnavant

Department of Education; learning management system. Directs the Department of Education to obtain a statewide learning management system for use in public schools by the start of the 2022-2023 school year.

A BILL to direct the Department of Education to obtain a learning management system for use in public schools.

20101947D

S.B. 367 Student growth measurement system; Department of Education to obtain an individualized system.

Patron: Dunnavant

Department of Education; student growth measurement system. Directs the Department of Education to obtain an individualized student growth measurement system that tracks and analyzes student growth indicators. The bill requires that the student growth measurement system be implemented during the 2022-2023 school year.

A BILL to direct the Department of Education to obtain a student growth measurement system for use in public schools.

20101949D

S.B. 392 School boards, local; lead testing potable water.

Patron: McPike

Local school boards; lead testing; report. Requires each local school board to submit its plan to test and remediate certain potable water sources and report the results of any such test to the Department of Health.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-135.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to local school boards; lead testing; report.

20101168D

S.B. 410 Public school buildings; testing for Legionella bacteria, review, report.

Patron: Hashmi

Public school buildings; testing for Legionella bacteria; review; report. Requires each school board to test each public school building in the local school division for the presence of Legionella bacteria at such regular intervals as the school board deems necessary to maintain the health and decency of such buildings. The bill requires the Department of Education to make recommendations for the frequency of testing for the presence of Legionella bacteria in public school buildings and to notify each local school board of its recommendations no later than September 1, 2020. The bill also requires each public elementary and secondary school to maintain files of its Legionella bacteria test results and make such files available for review and the division superintendent to report such results to the Department of Health.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-138 of the Code of Virginia, relating to public school buildings; testing for Legionella bacteria; review; report.

20104248D

S.B. 420 Public schools; seizure treatment and training.

Patron: DeSteph

Public schools; seizure treatment and training. Provides for the submission and utilization of seizure management plans for students with a seizure disorder. The bill requires that school nurses and certain school division employees complete an online course of instruction regarding treating students with seizure disorders. The bill also provides immunity from civil liability for acts or omissions related to providing for the care of a student under a seizure management plan.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 8.01-225 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1-274.5, relating to public schools; seizure treatment and training.

20101767D

S.B. 461 Veterans and active duty members of the Armed Forces; teachers, credit for service.

Patron: Reeves

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.

20102338D

S.B. 463 Student-athletes; sudden cardiac arrest prevention.

Patron: Reeves

Sudden cardiac arrest prevention in student-athletes. Directs the Board of Education to develop, biennially update, and distribute to each local school division guidelines on policies to inform and educate coaches, student-athletes, and student-athletes' parents or guardians about the nature and risk of sudden cardiac arrest, procedures for removal from and return to play, and the risks of not reporting symptoms. The bill also requires local school divisions to develop and biennially update policies and procedures regarding the identification and handling of symptoms that may lead to sudden cardiac arrest in student-athletes.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1-271.8, relating to sudden cardiac arrest prevention in student-athletes.

20102345D

S.B. 551 High school graduation requirements; standard diploma, workforce skills training.

Patron: Ruff

High school graduation requirements; standard diploma; workforce skills training. Requires the Board of Education, in establishing high school graduation requirements, to permit any student who has successfully completed during high school at least two years of workforce skills training as evidenced by written certification from the training provider to graduate with a standard diploma without completing the remaining credit requirements for such diploma.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-253.13:4 of the Code of Virginia, relating to high school graduation requirements; standard diploma; workforce skills training.

20103322D

S.B. 552 Regional alternative education programs; funding.

Patron: Ruff

Regional alternative education programs; funding. Requires the funding transferred from the Department of Education to the relevant school divisions in support of a regional alternative education program to be based on each such school division's need for the current school year. Under current law, such funding is transferred based on data accumulated during the prior school year.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-209.1:2 of the Code of Virginia, relating to regional alternative education programs; funding.

20103948D

S.B. 832 Private schools; sexual misconduct; employment assistance prohibited.

Patron: Ebbin

Private schools; sexual misconduct; employment assistance prohibited. Requires the governing boards or administrators of private elementary and secondary schools accredited on behalf of the Board of Education by the Virginia Council for Private Education to adopt and implement policies prohibiting any individual who is a governing board member, administrator, employee, contractor, or agent of such school to assist a governing board member, administrator, employee, contractor, or agent of such school in obtaining a new job if such individual knows or has probable cause to believe that the individual seeking new employment engaged in sexual misconduct regarding a minor or student in violation of law.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-296.3 of the Code of Virginia, relating to private schools; sexual misconduct; employment assistance prohibited.

20103302D

S.B. 845 Local school boards; mold testing; parental notification.

Patron: Ebbin

Local school boards; mold testing; parental notification. Requires each local school board to develop and implement a plan to test and, if necessary, remediate mold from sources identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as high priority for testing. The bill requires local school boards to give priority in the testing plan to schools whose school building was constructed, in whole or in part, before 1986 and to submit their testing plan and any testing results to the Department of Health. The bill also requires local school boards to take all steps necessary to notify the parents of all enrolled students if testing results indicate the presence of mold in a school building.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1-135.2, relating to local school boards; mold testing; parental notification.

20103494D

S.B. 880 School counselors; minimum staffing ratio.

Patron: Locke

Minimum staffing ratio for school counselors. Requires local school boards to employ school counselors in accordance with the following ratios, effective with the 2020%962021 school year: in elementary schools, one hour per day per 75 students, one full-time equivalent at 375 students, one hour per day additional time per 75 students or major fraction thereof; in middle schools, one period per 65 students, one full-time equivalent at 325 students, one additional period per 65 students or major fraction thereof; and in high schools, one period per 60 students, one full-time equivalent at 300 students, one additional period per 60 students or major fraction thereof. The bill also requires local school boards to employ one full-time equivalent school counselor position per 250 students in grades kindergarten through 12, effective with the 2021%962022 school year.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-253.13:2 of the Code of Virginia, relating to minimum staffing ratio for school counselors.

20102837D

S.B. 933 "Students with limited or interrupted formal education;" DOE to develop statewide definition.

Patron: Favola

Department of Education; common statewide definition; "students with limited or interrupted formal education." Requires the Department of Education to develop and adopt a common statewide definition for the term "students with limited or interrupted formal education" and to require school boards to report on the number of students who fall under such definition as part of the required data collection and reporting on average daily membership for the purposes of documenting any changes in such numbers over time and allowing for comparisons of such numbers across local school divisions. The bill provides that in developing and adopting such common statewide definition, the Department of Education shall consider and may adopt existing definitions of "students with limited or interrupted formal education."

A BILL to require the Department of Education to develop and adopt a common statewide definition for the term "students with limited or interrupted formal education."

20104351D

S.B. 934 English language learner students, certain; removal from certain calculations.

Patron: Favola

Board of Education; certain English language learner students; removal from certain non-academic school performance indicator calculations. Requires the Board of Education to permit any English language learner student who enters high school with an English language proficiency level of 1 or 2, has been enrolled in public schools in the Commonwealth for fewer than four semesters, and has a final four-year cohort status of dropout or unconfirmed to be removed from the calculation of the dropout rate and graduation and completion index non-academic school performance indicators for English language learner students under the Standards of Accreditation.

A BILL to require the Board of Education to permit certain English language learner students to be removed from certain non-academic school performance indicator calculations.

20104352D