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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: February 13, 2020
Time and Place: 30 Minutes after Senate Adjourns/ Subcom. Rm 2 5th Fl Pocahontas
Updated to remove HB1174

H.B. 270 Public schools; lock-down drills, notice to parents.

Patron: VanValkenburg

Public schools; lock-down drills; notice to parents. Requires every public school to provide the parents of enrolled students with at least 24 hours' notice before the school conducts any lock-down drill. The bill specifies that no such notice is required to include the exact date and time of the lock-down drill.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-137.2 of the Code of Virginia, relating to public schools; lock-down drills; notice to parents.

20102057D

H.B. 308 Students; DOE to establish guideline for excused absence due to mental and behavioral health.

Patron: Hope

Public elementary and secondary school students; excused absences; mental and behavioral health. Requires the Department of Education to establish and distribute to each school board no later than August 1, 2020, guidelines for the granting of excused absences to students who are absent from school due to mental or behavioral health and requires any student who is absent from school due to his mental or behavioral health to be granted an excused absence, subject to such guidelines.

A BILL to require the Department of Education to establish and school boards to implement guidelines for the granting of excused absences to students due to mental or behavioral health.

20106887D

H.B. 392 School boards; applicants for employment, criminal history.

Patron: Ward

School boards; applicants for employment; criminal history. Prohibits each school board from employing any individual who has been convicted of a violent felony set forth in the definition of barrier crime in subsection A of § 19.2-392.02 of the Code of Virginia or any offense involving the sexual molestation, physical or sexual abuse, or rape of a child. The bill permits each school board to employ any individual who has been convicted of any felony or crime of moral turpitude that is not set forth in the definition of barrier crime in subsection A of § 19.2-392.02 of the Code of Virginia and does not involve the sexual molestation, physical or sexual abuse, or rape of a child, provided that in the case of a felony conviction, such individual has had his civil rights restored by the Governor. The bill contains parallel provisions for contractors and their employees who have direct contact with students on school property during regular school hours or during school-sponsored activities. Current law provides that any felony conviction is a bar to employment and contract work in public schools.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-296.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to school boards; applicants for employment; criminal history.

20101566D

H.B. 402 Public schools; lock-down drills, frequency, exemptions.

Patron: Keam

Public schools; lock-down drills; frequency; exemptions. Requires every public school to hold at least one lock-down drill after the first 60 days of the school session, in addition to the two lock-down drills required to be held during the first 20 days of the school session at each such school. Current law requires each public school to hold at least two lock-down drills after the first 20 days of the school session. The bill requires kindergarten students to be exempt from mandatory participation in lock-down drills during the first 60 days of the school session and requires the principal at each relevant school to implement such exemption by either (i) conducting teacher-only drills or otherwise providing suitable training for kindergarten teachers or (ii) notifying each parent of a kindergarten student at least five school days in advance of each planned lock-down drill and permitting each such parent to opt his child out of participation in such lock-down drill.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-137.2 of the Code of Virginia, relating to public schools; lock-down drills; frequency; exemptions.

20100724D

H.B. 410 Parental notification; literacy and Response to Intervention screening and services.

Patron: Delaney

Parental notice; literacy and Response to Intervention screening and services; certain assessment results. Requires each local school board to enact a policy to require that timely written notification is provided to the parents of any student who (i) undergoes literacy and Response to Intervention screening and services or (ii) does not meet the benchmark on any assessment used to determine at-risk learners in preschool through grade 12, which notification shall include all such assessment scores and subscores and any intervention plan that results from such assessment scores or subscores.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1-215.2, relating to parental notification; literacy and Response to Intervention screening and services; certain assessment results.

20105626D

H.B. 415 Discipline; suspension, access to graded work during and after suspension.

Patron: Delaney

Discipline; suspension; access to graded work. Requires school boards to adopt policies and procedures to ensure suspended students are able to access and complete graded work during and after the suspension.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 22.1-277.04 and 22.1-277.05 of the Code of Virginia, relating to discipline; suspension; access to graded work.

20100690D

H.B. 501 School boards; written school crisis, emergency management, and medical emergency response plans.

Patron: Krizek

School boards; written school crisis, emergency management, and medical emergency response plans; annual review; delegation of duty. Permits each school board to designate another entity or individual to participate on its behalf in the annual review of its written school crisis, emergency management, and medical emergency response plan.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-279.8 of the Code of Virginia, relating to school boards; written school crisis, emergency management, and medical emergency response plans; annual review; delegation of duty.

20102921D

H.B. 753 Social-emotional learning; DOE to develop guidance standards.

Patron: Rasoul

Department of Education; social-emotional learning and development. Requires the Department of Education to (i) establish a uniform definition of social-emotional learning and develop guidance standards for social-emotional learning for all public students in grades kindergarten through 12 in the Commonwealth; (ii) make such standards available to each local school division no later than July 1, 2021; and (iii) issue a report no later than November 1, 2021, on the resources needed to successfully support local school divisions with the implementation of a statewide social-emotional learning program.

A BILL to require the Department of Education to develop guidance standards for social-emotional learning for all public school students; report.

20106542D

H.B. 817 Public schools; use of digital devices.

Patron: Hope

Department of Education; Department of Health; guidelines for use of digital devices in public schools. Requires the Department of Education, in collaboration with the Department of Health and medical professional societies, to develop and implement health and safety best practice guidelines for the use of digital devices in public schools no later than the 2021-2022 school year.

A BILL to require the Department of Education, in collaboration with the Department of Health and medical professional societies, to develop and implement health and safety best practice guidelines for the use of digital devices in public schools.

20104624D

H.B. 836 Microcredentials; DOE to develop a plan to adopt, etc.

Patron: Carroll Foy

Department of Education; microcredentials; plan. Requires the Department of Education to develop a plan to adopt and implement standards for microcredentials used toward add-on endorsements and renewal of licenses earned by Virginia license holders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The bill requires such plan to include (i) a process for reviewing and administering educator microcredentials; (ii) assurances that educator microcredentials rely upon demonstrable evidence from the submission of artifacts, such as student projects and teacher lesson plans, that are then objectively scored against existing rubrics; and (iii) assurances that educator microcredentials focus on interrelated competencies leading to logical teacher professional development pathways and stacks of educator microcredentials and align with the Board of Education's ongoing work on educator professional development. Such plan shall also include the resources needed for statewide implementation. The bill requires the Department of Education to complete and submit the plan to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Education, the House Committee on Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Education and Health, and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations no later than December 1, 2020.

A BILL to require the Department of Education to develop a plan to adopt and implement standards for microcredentials.

20107012D

H.B. 928 Chesterfield County School Board; recovery high school to be established.

Patron: Coyner

Chesterfield County School Board; recovery high school. Permits the Chesterfield County School Board to establish a recovery high school in the school division as a year-round high school (i) for which enrollment is open to any high school student who resides in Superintendent's Region 1 and is in the early stages of recovery from substance use disorder or dependency and (ii) for the purpose of providing such students with the academic, emotional, and social support necessary to make progress toward earning a high school diploma and reintegrating into a traditional high school setting.

A BILL to permit the Chesterfield County School Board to establish a regional recovery high school.

20102463D

H.B. 999 School board policies; epinephrine, accessibility.

Patron: Bell

School board policies; epinephrine; accessibility. Requires each school board's policies on the possession and administration of epinephrine in every school in the local school division to require that at least one school nurse, employee of the school board, employee of a local governing body, or employee of a local health department who is authorized by a prescriber and trained in the administration of epinephrine has the means to access at all times during regular school hours any such epinephrine that is stored in a locked or otherwise generally inaccessible container or area.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-274.2 of the Code of Virginia, relating to school board policies; epinephrine; accessibility.

20102721D

H.B. 1073 Tobacco and nicotine vapor products; parental educational information.

Patron: Kory

Parental educational information; tobacco and nicotine vapor products. Requires each school board to annually provide parents of pupils in grades kindergarten through 12 information regarding the health dangers of tobacco and nicotine vapor products. The bill requires that the information provided be consistent with guidelines set forth by the Department of Education.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1-273.3, relating to parental educational information; tobacco and nicotine vapor products.

20100572D

H.B. 1208 Students, certain; waiver to access student transportation in certain cases.

Patron: Tran

School boards; duties; student transportation in certain cases. Each school board that provides for the transportation of students and that has established a rule, regulation, or policy to exclude certain students who reside within a certain distance from the school at which they are enrolled from accessing such transportation to establish a process for waiving, on a case-by-case and space-available basis, such exclusion and providing transportation to any such student whose parent is unable to provide adequate transportation for his child to attend school because the parent is providing necessary medical care to another family member who resides in the same household, as evidenced by a written explanation submitted by a licensed health care provider who provides care to such family member.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1-176.2, relating to certain students; waiver to access student transportation in certain cases.

20106640D

H.B. 1336 Family life education; SOL & curriculum guidelines, contemporary community standards.

Patron: Keam

Family life education; Standards of Learning and curriculum guidelines; contemporary community standards; review. Requires the Board of Education, in conducting its regular review and revision of the Standards of Learning and curriculum guidelines for family life education, to consult relevant stakeholders to ensure that revisions reflect contemporary community standards. The bill requires the next such review and revision to be completed no later than June 30, 2021. The bill requires each school board to conduct a review of its family life education curricula at least once every seven years.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-207.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to family life education; Standards of Learning and curriculum guidelines; contemporary community standards; review.

20102556D

H.B. 1344 Teacher licensure; written reprimand, suspension.

Patron: Askew

Board of Education; teacher licensure; written reprimand; suspension. Provides that when adopting regulations regarding the issuance of written reprimands of teachers and other school personnel required to hold a license, the Board of Education shall establish in such regulations the grounds for such written reprimands and provides that for a teacher who breaches his contract, the local board of education or division superintendent, in addition to a written reprimand or revocation of the teacher's license as in current law, may issue a suspension of the teacher's license.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 22.1-298.1 and 22.1-304 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Board of Education; teacher licensure; written reprimand; suspension.

20104782D

H.B. 1394 Family life education programs; materials, summaries.

Patron: Leftwich

Family life education programs; materials; summaries. Requires each local school board that offers a family life education program to post for public viewing (i) on the local school division's official website a summary of such program and (ii) on the local school division's official website or a parental portal a complete copy of all printed family life education program materials not subject to copyright protection and a description of all family life education program audio-visual materials. The bill requires each local school board to implement the foregoing provisions no later than the start of the 2021-2022 school year.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-207.2 of the Code of Virginia, relating to family life education programs; materials; summaries.

20106144D

H.B. 1469 Teachers employed in accredited private elementary and secondary schools; provisional licenses.

Patron: Gooditis

Teachers employed in certain private schools; provisional licenses; extension. Requires the Board of Education to extend for at least one additional year, but for no more than two additional years, the three-year provisional license of a teacher employed in an accredited private elementary or secondary school or a school for students with disabilities that is licensed by the Board upon receiving from the school administrator of such school (i) a recommendation for such extension and (ii) satisfactory performance evaluations for such teacher for each year of the original three-year provisional license. This bill incorporates HB 725.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-299 of the Code of Virginia, relating to teachers employed in certain private schools; provisional licenses; extension.

20106886D

H.B. 1491 Student voters; public high schools to provide Virginia voter registration information.

Patron: Guy

Student voters; Virginia voter registration. Requires each public high school to provide to any enrolled student who is of voting age or otherwise eligible to register to vote access to Virginia voter registration information and applications and the opportunity to complete such application during the normal course of the school day.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1-203.4, relating to student voters; Virginia voter registration.

20103604D

H.B. 1557 Appointed school boards; members, salaries.

Patron: Fowler

Appointed school boards; members; salaries. Eliminates the annual salary limits for appointed school board members and permits any appointed school board to pay each of its members an annual salary that is consistent with the salary procedures and no more than the salary limits provided for local governments in Article 1.1 (§ 15.2-1414.1 et seq.) of Chapter 14 of Title 15.2 (Counties, Cities and Towns) or as provided by charter. This bill incorporates HB 1578.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-32 of the Code of Virginia, relating to appointed school boards; members; salaries.

20106393D

H.B. 1613 Public school teachers; technical professional licenses, eligibility criteria.

Patron: Brewer

Public school teachers; technical professional licenses; eligibility criteria. Requires the Board of Education, pursuant to regulation, to permit any individual who seeks a technical professional license to substitute the successful completion of an intensive, job-embedded, three-year program of professional development for the nine semester hours of professional studies required for such license.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1-299.8, relating to public school teachers; technical professional licenses; eligibility criteria.

20105247D

H.B. 1630 Public schools; extension of provisional teacher licensure.

Patron: Kilgore

Public schools; provisional teacher licensure; certain individuals. Permits any school board and division superintendent to extend from three months to six months the period within which the provisional license of an individual seeking initial teacher licensure who has not completed professional assessments will expire for the purpose of establishing such individual's eligibility for initial licensure, provided that such individual has received a satisfactory mid-year performance review in the current school year and meets all other eligibility criteria.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-298.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to public schools; provisional teacher licensure; certain individuals.

20105129D