Legislative Update for Virginia Counselors Association
Wednesday May 14, 2025
| Bill | Patron | Title | Synopsis | Upcoming Hearings | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HB 1585 | N. Baxter Ennis | Weight Loss And Muscle Building Products, Certain; Selling Or Distributing To Minors Prohibited. | Sale of certain weight loss and muscle building products to minors prohibited. Prohibits any person from selling or distributing an over-the-counter diet pill or dietary supplement for weight loss or muscle building to a person who is younger than 18 years of age and requires that the purchaser demonstrate, by producing a driver's license or similar photo identification issued by a government agency, that he is at least 18 years of age. For mail or Internet sales, the bill requires that the person offering an over-the-counter diet pill or dietary supplement for weight loss or muscle building (i) prior to the sale verifies that the purchaser is at least 18 years of age through a commercially available database that is regularly used by businesses or governmental entities for the purpose of age and identity verification and (ii) uses a method of mailing, shipping, or delivery that requires the signature of a person at least 18 years of age before the products will be released to the purchaser. The bill also requires that over-the-counter diet pills or dietary supplements for weight loss or muscle building will only be displayed for sale behind a store counter that is not accessible to consumers or in a locked case that requires assistance from a store employee for customer access. A violation of the bill's provisions is punishable by a civil penalty in the amount of $500 for a first violation and $2,500 for a second or subsequent violation within a three-year period. | H Left in Health and Human Services (2/5) | |
| HB 1626 | Mike A. Cherry; Joshua E. Thomas | Public Elementary & Secondary School Teachers; Certain Training Activities, Requirements, Etc. | Public elementary and secondary school teachers; certain training activities; requirements and limitations. Prohibits any public elementary or secondary school teacher from being required to participate in any non-academic training activity, as that term is defined in the bill, more frequently than once within six months of employment with the applicable school board and once every five years thereafter, except in the case of certain training relating to secure mandatory test violations upon determination by the school board or division superintendent that additional training is necessary. The bill also provides that the total frequency and duration of non-academic training activities in which each such teacher is required to participate pursuant to state law or regulation or policy or regulation of the applicable school board shall not exceed 25 hours every five years. This bill is identical to SB 822. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0477) (3/24) | |
| HB 1675 | C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr. | Board Of Medicine; Continuing Education; Unconscious Bias And Cultural Competency. | Board of Medicine; continuing education; unconscious bias and cultural competency. Directs the Board of Medicine to require unconscious bias and cultural competency training as part of the continuing education requirements for renewal of licensure. The bill specifies requirements for the training and requires the Board of Medicine to report on the training to the Department of Health. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care. | G Vetoed by Governor (5/2) | |
| HB 1678 | Laura Jane Cohen; Atoosa R. Reaser; Karen Keys-Gamarra; Nadarius E. Clark | School Board Policies; Parental Notification; Safe Storage Of Prescription Drugs And Firearms In The Household. | School board policies; parental notification; safe storage of prescription drugs and 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, if applicable, SMS text message within 30 calendar days succeeding the first day of each school year, of (i) the importance of securely storing any prescription drug, as defined in relevant law, present in the household and (ii) the parent's legal responsibility to safely store any firearm present in the household. The bill requires each school board to make such parental notification available in multiple languages on its website. This bill is identical to SB 1048. | G Vetoed by Governor (5/2) | |
| HB 1695 | Alex Q. Askew | Public Elementary & Secondary Schools; Cardiac Emergency Response Or Emergency Action Plans. | Public elementary and secondary schools; cardiac emergency response or emergency action plans required. Requires each public elementary or secondary school to develop a cardiac emergency response plan (CERP) or an athletic emergency action plan (EAP), as those terms are defined in the bill, that addresses the appropriate use of school personnel to respond to incidents involving an individual who is experiencing sudden cardiac arrest or a similar life-threatening emergency while on school grounds and, in the event that such school has an athletic department or organized athletic program, while attending or participating in an athletic practice or event. The bill requires each such CERP or athletic EAP to integrate nationally recognized evidence-based core elements and nationally recognized evidence-based guidelines and to integrate certain additional provisions and guidelines, including those relating to establishing a cardiac emergency response team, activating such team in response to a sudden cardiac event, and integrating the CERP or athletic EAP into the local community's emergency medical services response protocols. This bill is identical to SB 817. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0372) (3/24) | |
| HB 1769 | Marty Martinez | Chronic Student Absenteeism; Task Force To Examine Its Effects On Local School Divisions, Etc. | Chronic Absenteeism Task Force; examination of chronic student absenteeism; report. Directs the Chronic Absenteeism Task Force convened by the Department of Education, in consultation with such interested stakeholders as it deems appropriate, to (i) examine chronic student absenteeism and its effects on local school divisions and (ii) make recommendations to the Board of Education, the Governor, and the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2025, on the feasibility and advisability of amending the Board of Education's regulations to exclude certain student absences from the calculation of chronic student absenteeism for the purpose of balancing the importance of student attendance with the need for administrative flexibility for local school divisions. This bill incorporates HB 1788. | H House sustained Governor's veto (4/2) | |
| HB 1897 | Rodney T. Willett | Master's Social Worker; Scope Of Practice, Regulations. | Board of Social Work; Board of Counseling; master's social worker; scope of practice; regulations. Expands the scope of practice of master's social workers to allow the provision of clinical services under the supervision of a licensed clinical social worker. The bill also directs the Board of Social Work to promulgate regulations to allow master's social workers to engage in clinical services under the supervision of a licensed clinical social worker and directs the Board of Counseling to amend its regulations to state that a licensed baccalaureate social worker shall not be required to (i) register with the Board of Counseling or (ii) fulfill any additional training or education requirements in order to serve as a qualified mental health professional-trainee. The bill directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to amend their regulations to deem the services provided by a licensed baccalaureate social worker to be equivalent to the services provided by a qualified mental health professional-trainee and reimbursed at a comparable rate, and directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to seek all necessary federal authority to enact such changes. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0146) (3/19) | |
| HB 1903 | Rodney T. Willett | Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority; Virginia Nursing Workforce Center Established; Reporting And Monitoring Of Health Care Workforce Programs; Residency Slots; Work Group; Report. | Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority; Virginia Nursing Workforce Center established; reporting and monitoring of health care workforce programs; residency slots; work group; report. Establishes the Virginia Nursing Workforce Center under the auspices of the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority (the Authority) for the purpose of working toward ensuring a quality nursing workforce for all Virginians. The bill also changes the name of the Virginia Health Care Career and Technical Training and Education Fund to the Virginia Health Workforce Innovation Fund and directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to amend its regulations to increase supplemental payments for qualifying residency slots from $100,000 to $160,000. The bill directs the Authority to convene work groups for the purpose of developing a long-term vision for the health workforce and to develop a plan to increase capacity for reporting and monitoring of health care workforce programs. | H Left in Appropriations (2/4) | |
| HB 1945 | Atoosa R. Reaser | School Boards; School-based Telehealth And Mental Health Teletherapy Services, Accessibility. | School boards; student access to telehealth services; policies. Directs each school board to consider, for the purpose of increasing access to health care services for students, developing and implementing policies for permitting any public school student in the school division to schedule and participate in telehealth services, including mental health teletherapy services pursuant to a memorandum of understanding with a nationally recognized school-based telehealth provider developed in accordance with applicable law, on school property during regular school hours with parental consent. The bill requires any such policies developed and implemented by a school board to (i) require each public elementary and secondary school to designate a location in the school for student use for such telehealth appointments and implement measures to ensure the safety and privacy of any student participating in a telehealth appointment, (ii) prohibit any student from being subject to any disciplinary measure or consequence for participating in a telehealth appointment during regular school hours if such student would not be subject to any disciplinary measure or consequence for an absence for the purpose of receiving any health care services in person during regular school hours, and (iii) include such other requirements as the school board deems necessary and appropriate. Finally, the bill requires any school board that develops and implements any policies for permitting students to schedule and participate in telehealth services pursuant to the bill to provide and post in a publicly accessible location on its website at the beginning of each school year guidance relating to the implementation of such policies for administrative and instructional personnel. This bill is identical to SB 1037. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0555) (3/24) | |
| HB 1958 | Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker; Candi Mundon King; Laura Jane Cohen; Marcia S. "Cia" Price | School Breakfasts; Availability At No Cost To Students. | School breakfasts; availability at no cost to students. Requires each school board to require each public elementary and secondary school in the local school division to participate in the federal National School Lunch Program and the federal School Breakfast Program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and to make breakfast available to any student who requests such a meal at no cost to the student, unless the student's parent has provided written permission to the school board to withhold such a meal from the student. The bill requires the Department of Education to reimburse each public elementary and secondary school for each school breakfast served to a student, with a maximum of one breakfast per student per school day and provides the formula for determining the state reimbursement rate for such meals. Finally, the bill repeals a provision of law relating to the federal School Breakfast Program that is rendered obsolete by the provisions of the bill. | H Left in Appropriations (2/4) | |
| HB 1961 | Sam Rasoul | Public Elementary & Secondary Schools; Bell-to-bell Student Cell Phone & Smart Device Possession. | Public elementary and secondary schools; student discipline; student cell phone possession and use policies; development and implementation. Directs each school board to develop and each public elementary and secondary school to implement age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate policies relating to the possession and use of cell phones by students on school property during regular school hours. The bill requires such policies to (i) restrict, to the fullest extent possible, student cell phone possession and use in the classroom during regular school hours; (ii) aim to reduce or prevent any distraction in or disruption to the learning environment, including bullying or harassment, that could be caused or facilitated by student cell phone possession and use on school property during regular school hours; (iii) ensure that implementation and enforcement of the policy is the responsibility of the administration, minimizes, to the extent possible, any conflict with the instructional responsibilities of teachers or any disruption to instructional time, and does not involve any school resource officer; (iv) include exceptions to such policies permitting any student, pursuant to an Individualized Education Plan or Section 504 Plan or if otherwise deemed appropriate by the school board, to possess and use a cell phone on school property, including in the classroom, during regular school hours to monitor or address a health concern; and (v) expressly prohibit any student from being suspended or expelled as a consequence of any violation of such policies. Finally, the bill clarifies that (a) no violation of any such student cell phone possession and use policy shall alone constitute sufficient cause for a student's suspension or expulsion from attendance at school and (b) any such violation that involves, coincides with, or results in an instance of disruptive behavior, as that term is defined in applicable law, shall be addressed in accordance with the regulations on codes of student conduct adopted by each school board pursuant to applicable law. This bill is identical to SB 738. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0644) (4/2) | |
| HB 2055 | Atoosa R. Reaser; Laura Jane Cohen; Michael B. Feggans | Student Health And Safety; Responsibility To Contact Parent Of Student At Imminent Risk Of Suicide. | Student health and safety; responsibility to contact parent of student at imminent risk of suicide; provision of suicide prevention materials required. Requires any person licensed as administrative or instructional personnel by the Board of Education (the Board) and employed by a local school board who in the scope of his employment has reason to believe, as a result of direct communication from a student, that such student is at imminent risk of suicide to, in addition to contacting at least one of such student's parents to provide notice of the student's mental state, provide to the parent materials on suicide prevention that (i) shall include information on the requirements set forth in current law relating to the safe storage of firearms in the presence of minors and (ii) may include guidance on best practices and strategies for limiting a student's access to lethal means, including firearms and medications. The bill requires any such materials on suicide prevention to be selected in accordance with the guidelines developed by the Board pursuant to applicable law and to include materials that have been pre-approved for such use by the Board. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0525) (3/24) | |
| HB 2118 | Karen Keys-Gamarra | Public Schools; Delayed Implementation And Review Of Revised Public School Accountability System. | Department of Education; public school accountability; delayed implementation and review of revised public school accountability system; report; emergency. Directs the Department of Education to delay for a period of one year the implementation of the revised public school accountability system adopted pursuant to applicable Board of Education regulations in order to conduct a review of and establish a stakeholder advisory committee to solicit input on such revised public school accountability system for the purpose of ensuring that such accountability system is designed to achieve fair, transparent, and actionable results aimed at improving student growth and learning outcomes across the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Department to, by April 1, 2026, (i) publish a report on the process and findings of the review conducted in accordance with the provisions of the bill and (ii) submit to the Governor, the Senate Committee on Education and Health, and the House Committee on Education a plan for modifying and implementing the revised public school accountability system that incorporates the findings of the review conducted and the input from the stakeholder advisory committee established in accordance with the provisions of the bill. The bill contains an emergency clause. | H Left in Education (2/4) | |
| HB 2146 | Eric R. Zehr | Actions For Medical Malpractice; Minors, Gender Transition Procedures. | Actions for medical malpractice; minors; gender transition procedures. Provides a 20-year statute of limitations for any cause of action for personal injury or wrongful death accruing on or after July 1, 2025, on behalf of a person who was a minor at the time the cause of action accrued against a health care provider for medical malpractice wherein the act or omission giving rise to such cause of action occurred during a gender transition procedure, as defined in the bill, on such minor. | H Left in Courts of Justice (2/4) | |
| HB 2182 | Nicholas J. Freitas | Sage's Law; Minor Students Experiencing Gender Incongruence, Etc. | Sage's Law; minor students experiencing gender incongruence; parental notification of certain requests and parental permission for certain plans required; parental care. Requires each public elementary or secondary school principal or his designee to (i) as soon as practicable, inform at least one parent of a minor student enrolled in such school if such minor requests that any such employee participate while at school in the social affirmation of such minor student's gender incongruence or the transition of such minor student to a sex or gender different from the minor's biological sex, as such terms are defined in the bill, and (ii) request and receive permission from at least one parent of a minor student enrolled at such school prior to the implementation at such school of any plan concerning any gender incongruence experienced by such minor, including any counseling of such minor at school. Any such plan shall include provision for parental participation to the extent requested by the parent. The bill also clarifies, in the definition of the term 'abused or neglected child,' that in no event shall referring to and raising the child in a manner consistent with the child's biological sex, including related mental health or medical decisions, be considered abuse or neglect. | H Left in Education (2/4) | |
| HB 2190 | Nicholas J. Freitas | Public Schools; Catalog Of Print Or Digital Materials Available In School Libraries, Etc. | Public schools; school libraries; catalog of print or digital materials available in school libraries and used as instructional materials; development, implementation, and maintenance. Requires the principal of each public elementary or secondary school or his designee to develop, implement, and maintain in an electronic spreadsheet or substantially similar electronic format a catalog of all print or digital materials, as defined in the bill, available in the school library and all instructional materials, as defined in the bill, used as a part of the school curriculum. The bill requires such catalog to (i) be developed and posted in a publicly accessible location on the school website in a searchable and downloadable format; (ii) identify each item by the item's title, author, and, if applicable, International Standard Book Number, or such other identifying features or information as the principal or his designee deems appropriate; and (iii) be maintained and updated as necessary to accurately reflect all print or digital materials available in the school library and any instructional materials used as a part of the school curriculum. | H Left in Education (2/4) | |
| HB 2196 | Delores L. McQuinn | Restorative Schools In Virginia Pilot Program; Established, Report, Effective Date. | Public schools; student discipline; Restorative Schools in Virginia Pilot Program; established. Establishes the Restorative Schools in Virginia Pilot Program (the Program), to be administered by the Department of Education (the Department), for the purpose of addressing school discipline issues and promoting evidence-based restorative practices, as that term is defined in the bill, in public schools in the Commonwealth by awarding grants to a school division in each superintendent's region in the Commonwealth to be used in developing and implementing a comprehensive plan to integrate evidence-based restorative practices in such school divisions in accordance with the provisions of the bill. The bill directs the Department to (i) develop the application process by which a school board may apply to receive funds pursuant to the Program; (ii) establish criteria for the selection and award of grants pursuant to the Program; and (iii) develop a process for evaluating the progress and performance of each school division selected to receive a grant pursuant to the Program in implementing such evidence-based restorative practices and satisfying the Program requirements set forth in the bill. The bill requires any such school division to (a) establish a learning collaborative for the purpose of developing a comprehensive plan for implementing evidence-based restorative practices in accordance with the provisions of the bill and (b) submit to the Department by July 1 of each year immediately following any year for which it receives a grant a report on its progress in implementing such evidence-based restorative practices for the preceding school year. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026. | S Passed by indefinitely in Finance and Appropriations (13-Y 1-N) (2/14) | |
| HB 2226 | Mike A. Cherry | Noncustodial Parent; Disclosure Of Student Address. | Right of foster parents to prohibit disclosure of student address to parents; parental notification. Requires (i) notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, upon written request of the foster parent of an enrolled student, a school board employee to redact the address of the foster parent prior to providing such student's parent any record otherwise containing such address and (ii) at the time a child is placed in foster care, each local department of social services to, if applicable, notify the foster parents of their right to make a written request pursuant to clause (i). | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0164) (3/19) | |
| HB 2252 | Wren M. Williams | Decreasing Probation Period; Criteria For Mandatory Reduction, Effective Clause, Report. | Decreasing probation period; criteria for mandatory reduction. Establishes criteria for which a defendant's supervised probation period shall be reduced, including completing qualifying educational activities, maintaining verifiable employment, complying with or completing any state-certified or state-approved mental health or substance abuse treatment program, securing and maintaining qualifying health insurance or a qualifying health care plan, and obtaining housing and establishing residence. The bill provides that a court may decrease a defendant's probation period if warranted by the defendant's conduct and in the interests of justice and may do so without a hearing, unless the defendant poses an imminent threat to the health and safety of himself or others. The bill requires the Department of Corrections to meet with all relevant stakeholders and report to the General Assembly on (i) current practices for community supervision as it relates to monitoring engagement and attainment in education, employment, treatment, and other programs and making recommendations to the court for modification of time served on probation; (ii) how such practices compare to the processes and practices that would be established pursuant to the bill; and (iii) a plan for such implementation by November 1, 2025. Except for this provision requiring the Department of Corrections to meet with all relevant stakeholders and report to the General Assembly, the provisions of the bill do not become effective unless reenacted by the 2026 Session of the General Assembly. This bill is identical to SB 936. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0657) (4/2) | |
| HB 2278 | Laura Jane Cohen; Marcia S. "Cia" Price | School Boards/division Superintendent; Review Of Accessibility Challenges In Local School Division. | School boards or division superintendents; review accessibility challenges in the local school division; report. Requires each school board or division superintendent, in consultation with such other stakeholders as it deems appropriate, to review the extent to which (i) public elementary and secondary school buildings and grounds in the local school division present physical accessibility challenges and barriers for individuals with disabilities, including challenges and barriers that may prevent such individuals from fully participating in school activities; (ii) challenges in access to programming and supports exist for individuals with disabilities at public elementary and secondary schools in the local school division; (iii) such schools have begun or plan to address and eliminate all such challenges and barriers; and (iv) state agencies can assist such schools to address and eliminate all such challenges and barriers and fully comply with all applicable state and federal laws. The bill requires each school board or division superintendent to report the findings of such review and any associated recommendations to the Chairs of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Education no later than November 1, 2025. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0566) (3/24) | |
| HB 2287 | Carrie E. Coyner | Guidelines And Policies On School-connected Overdose; Response And Parental Notification. | Guidelines and policies on school-connected overdose; response and parental notification. Adjusts the contents of the guidelines that the Board of Education is required to establish for school-connected overdose response and parental notification policies by requiring such guidelines to include guidance and model language for the development and implementation of a policy requiring each school board to provide within 24 hours of any school-connected overdose notification to the parent of each student within the local school division and criteria for ensuring sensitivity to the privacy interests of affected individuals in issuing such notification. The bill also requires each school board to notify the parent of each student in the local school division of any school-connected overdose within 24 hours of the overdose occurring in accordance with the guidance and criteria provided by the Board of Education. | H Incorporated by Education (HB2774-Singh) (Voice Vote) (1/29) | |
| HB 2291 | Carrie E. Coyner | Public Schools; Textbooks And Other High-quality Instructional Materials. | Public schools; textbooks and other high-quality instructional materials. Makes several changes relating to the textbooks and other high-quality instructional materials that are utilized as the curriculum basis for public elementary and secondary school student instruction, including (i) defining such term for the purpose of various laws and regulations relating to approval, procurement, and no-cost provision of such materials; (ii) requiring each local school board to adopt and implement textbooks and other high-quality instructional materials in English language arts for grades six through 12 and mathematics, science, and history and social studies for grades kindergarten through 12 and requiring the Department of Education to support such local adoption and implementation in several ways, including by consolidating and simplifying the applications for all state and federal programs that provide funding to local school boards into a single application; and (iii) 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 an endorsement in early/primary education preschool through grade three, elementary education preschool through grade six, middle education grades six through eight, and secondary education grades six through 12 to include a program of coursework and clinical experience and require all such students to demonstrate mastery in identifying and implementing textbooks and other high-quality instructional materials. | H Incorporated by Education (HB2777-Rasoul) (Voice Vote) (1/29) | |
| HB 2294 | Mark L. Earley, Jr. | Virginia Social Media Regulation Act; Established, Penalties. | Virginia Social Media Regulation Act established; penalties. Establishes the Virginia Social Media Regulation Act for the purpose of prohibiting minors in Virginia from possessing an account on any social media platform, defined in the bill, without the express consent of a parent or guardian. The bill requires a social media company to provide a minor's parent or guardian with access to the minor's account and all posts and information on such account. The bill also places prohibitions on the type of data and personal information a social media platform may collect from a minor account holder and prohibits the use of any practice, design, or feature on a social media company's platform that the company knows, or should reasonably know, could cause a minor account holder to have an addiction to the social media platform. Lastly, the bill provides that any violation of the Virginia Social Media Regulation Act shall constitute a prohibited practice and be subject to the enforcement provisions of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. | H Left in General Laws (2/5) | |
| HB 2295 | Mark L. Earley, Jr. | Public Elementary And Secondary Schools; Reports Of Certain Acts To Law Enforcement And Parents. | Public elementary and secondary schools; student discipline; reports of certain acts to law enforcement and parents; failure to make required reports prohibited; penalty. Makes (i) the failure of any principal to report, in accordance with applicable law, incidents involving certain school-based offenses to (a) law enforcement or (b) the parent of any minor student who is the specific object of such an incident a Class 3 misdemeanor and (ii) any subsequent conviction under the provisions of the bill or any conviction for a substantially similar offense under the law of any political subdivision of the Commonwealth, any state or territory of the United States or any political subdivision thereof, the District of Columbia, or the United States a Class 2 misdemeanor. | H Left in Education (2/4) | |
| HB 2341 | Adele Y. McClure; Kathy K.L. Tran; Michelle Lopes Maldonado; Irene Shin | Culturally Responsive & Language-appropriate Mental Health Support & Services; Guidance & Policies. | Department of Education; culturally responsive and language-appropriate mental health support and services; guidance and policies. Requires, no later than October 1, 2026, the Department of Education to develop, adopt, and provide to each local school board guidance on the adoption of policies governing the provision of culturally responsive and language-appropriate mental health support and services for students in the local school division and permits any school board to develop and adopt policies in the local school division that are consistent with the guidelines adopted and provided by the Department of Education. | H House sustained Governor's veto (4/2) | |
| HB 2353 | Tony O. Wilt | Public Elementary & Secondary Schools; Copies Of Minor's Discharge Plan Sent To Schools And Parents. | Discharge plans; copies to public elementary and secondary schools. Provides that, prior to the discharge of any minor admitted to inpatient treatment (i) who is a student at a public elementary or secondary school and (ii) for whom the facility deems (a) such discharge poses a threat of violence or physical harm to himself and others or (b) additional educational services are needed, such facility is required to provide to the school's mental health professional or school counselor the portions of such discharge plan relevant to the threat of violence or harm or the necessary additional educational services. The bill requires such facility to, prior to providing any such portions of any minor's discharge plan, provide to the parent of such minor student reasonable notice of the types of information that would be included in any portions of the discharge plan being provided and of the parent's right to, upon written request, refuse the provision of any such information. | H Left in Education (2/4) | |
| HB 2373 | Geary Higgins | Public Elementary And Secondary School Students; Parents' Bill Of Rights Established. | Public elementary and secondary school students; parents' bill of rights established. Establishes, consistent with ? 1-240.1 of the Code of Virginia, several enumerated rights for the parents of each public elementary or secondary school student in the Commonwealth, including the right to review any books, curricula, or instructional materials being taught or made available to their child and the right to be notified of any situation that directly affects their child's safety at school. | H Left in Education (2/4) | |
| HB 2399 | Phillip A. Scott | Minors; Parental Access To Health Records. | Parental access to minor's health records. Requires health care entities that provide access to health records of minors through a secure website to make such health records available to the minor's parent or guardian through the same secure website. | H Left in Appropriations (2/4) | |
| HB 2400 | Phillip A. Scott | Public Elementary And Secondary School Libraries; Model Policies For Review Of Print, Etc. | Public elementary and secondary school libraries; model policies for review of print and audiovisual materials; sexually explicit visual content prohibited. Requires the Department of Education to develop and make available to each school board model policies prohibiting any school library in any public elementary or secondary school from obtaining or possessing any print or audiovisual materials that contain sexually explicit visual content, as that term is defined in the bill. The bill requires such model policies to (i) require the review of any print or audiovisual material that is (a) made available to any such school for placement in any school library or (b) accessible to students in any school library for the purpose of determining whether such material contains sexually explicit visual content; (ii) provide for the removal or exclusion from any school library of any print or audiovisual material that, upon review, is determined to contain sexually explicit visual content; and (iii) establish guidelines for implementing such policies in accordance with the provisions of the bill to ensure compliance with the First Amendment to the Constitution of United States and Article 1, Section 12 of the Constitution of Virginia. The bill requires each school board to adopt policies that are consistent with but may be more comprehensive than the model policies adopted by the Department of Education pursuant to the bill. Finally, the bill amends the exception in current law to the prohibition of certain sales and loans to juveniles for the purchase, distribution, exhibition, or loan of certain materials to schools to clarify that the exception does not apply in the case of public school libraries as provided in the provisions of the bill. | H Left in Education (2/4) | |
| HB 2403 | Geary Higgins | School Boards; Panic Alarm Systems In Each School Required. | School boards; panic alarm systems in each school required. Requires each school board to equip each public elementary and secondary school building in the local school division with a panic alarm system that includes at least one panic alarm device in each classroom or other room in the building in which students will be present and that adheres to nationally recognized industry standards. The bill defines 'panic alarm system' as a silent security system by which the user manually activates a device that sends a non-audible signal to the local 9-1-1 public safety answering point that indicates a school security emergency that requires immediate response and assistance from such public safety answering point, including a non-fire evacuation, lockdown, medical emergency, or active shooter situation. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026. | H Left in Education (2/4) | |
| HB 2405 | Timothy P. Griffin; Mark L. Earley, Jr. | Gender Reassignment Surgery; Prohibition On Individuals Younger Than 18 Years Of Age. | Prohibition of gender reassignment surgery on individuals younger than 18 years of age. Prohibits gender reassignment surgery, as defined in the bill, for individuals younger than 18 years of age. The bill establishes enforcement procedures for violations of the provisions of the bill. | H Left in Rules (2/4) | |
| HB 2424 | Geary Higgins; Carrie E. Coyner | School-connected Overdoses; Policies Relating To Parental Notification And Response, Requirements. | School-connected overdoses; policies relating to parental notification and response; requirements. Expands current law relating to school-connected overdose parental notification and response policies by, in addition to requiring the Board of Education to establish guidelines for school-connected overdose response and parental notification policies, requiring (i) each division superintendent or his designee to notify the parent of each student in the local school division of any suspected school-connected overdose, with 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 suspected overdose and requiring such notification to include as much information as is known about the circumstances surrounding the suspected overdose, to the extent that the disclosure of any such information is not prohibited by any applicable laws, rules, or regulations relating to the disclosure and protection of a minor's personal, confidential, or otherwise sensitive information, and (ii) each local school board to adopt, implement, and maintain policies consistent with the provisions of the bill and the guidelines developed by the Board of Education. | H Incorporated by Education (HB2774-Singh) (Voice Vote) (1/29) | |
| HB 2454 | Sam Rasoul | Public School Accountability System; Three "e" Readiness Framework. | Board of Education; public school accountability system; Three 'E' Readiness Framework; include and incentivize work-based learning experiences. Directs the Board of Education to revise its Three 'E' Readiness Framework: Employment, Enlistment, and Enrollment, adopted pursuant to the public school accountability system to measure high school student postsecondary readiness, to include as an indicator of postsecondary readiness and incentivize participation in and completion of work-based learning experiences, with the maximum number of points for such indicator awarded to students who participate in a minimum of 90 hours of work-based learning experiences. This bill is identical to SB 784. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0678) (5/2) | |
| HB 2455 | Sam Rasoul | High School Students; Postsecondary Opportunities, Transferable Meta-major Associate Degrees. | Public high school students; opportunity to earn transferable meta-major associate degree during high school to reduce college debt. Requires the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, in cooperation with the Virginia Community College System and each associate-degree-granting public institution of higher education and each baccalaureate public institution of higher education, to establish a program by which qualified high school students earn an associate degree in a meta-major through dual enrollment, concurrent enrollment, or a combination thereof, that (i) is fully transferable to any baccalaureate public institution of higher education that offers a program of study in such meta-major and (ii) to the extent possible, satisfies discipline-specific degree requirements in the student's preferred program of study. | S Passed by indefinitely in Finance and Appropriations (13-Y 0-N 1-A) (2/17) | |
| HB 2474 | Geary Higgins | School Resource Officers And School Security Officers; Crisis Intervention Training. | School resource officers and school security officers; crisis intervention training. Requires compulsory minimum training standards for school resource officers and school security officers to include crisis intervention training. | H Left in Public Safety (2/5) | |
| HB 2508 | Timothy P. Griffin | Voter Registration; High School Registration Activities And Parental Consent. | Voter registration; high school registration activities and parental consent. Prohibits any person or organization, except a high school administrator, teacher, or staff person or a general registrar or his staff, from facilitating voter registration activities at a public high school. The bill also requires the form of the application to register to vote to include a statement of consent that must be signed by the parent or legal guardian of any applicant who is younger than the age of 18 at the time of his application. The bill specifies that such statement must include an acknowledgement that the minor applicant's personally identifiable information is required for voter registration. | H Left in Privileges and Elections (2/5) | |
| HB 2511 | Kim A. Taylor | Nationally Certified School Psychologist Program; Established. | Nationally Certified School Psychologist Program established; incorporation into National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund. Establishes the Nationally Certified School Psychologist Program and incorporates such program into the existing National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program. The bill also renames the National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program Fund as the National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program and Nationally Certified School Psychologist Program Fund (the Fund) and expands the purpose for which disbursements may be made from the Fund to include the award of incentive grants to school psychologists obtaining national certification from the National Association of School Psychologists consisting of an initial state-funded award of $5,000 and a subsequent award of $2,500 each year for the life of the certificate. | H Left in Education (2/4) | |
| HB 2543 | Shelly A. Simonds; Amy J. Laufer | Model Memorandum Of Understanding; Counseling From School Counselors By Way Of Telehealth. | Department of Education; model memorandum of understanding; counseling from school counselors by way of telehealth. Provides that the model memorandum of understanding developed by the Department of Education for partnerships with community mental health services providers or school-based telehealth providers shall include procedures allowing for students to receive counseling from school counselors by way of telehealth. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Pandemic Response and Preparedness in the Commonwealth and is identical to SB 1370. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0666) (4/2) | |
| HB 2583 | A.C. Cordoza | School Bathroom Safety Checks; Bd. Of Education To Develop, Etc., To Each School Board Model Policy. | Celeste's Law; Board of Education; model policy; school bathroom safety checks. Requires the Board of Education to develop, adopt, and distribute to each local school board a model policy regarding bathroom safety checks in public elementary and secondary schools during normal school hours that includes consideration of appropriate staffing, the frequency of such checks, and any other topics that the Board of Education deems relevant. | H Left in Education (2/4) | |
| HB 2662 | Bonita G. Anthony | Hospital Oversight Fund, Etc.; Established, Health Care Credentialing And Billing Oversight. | Health care credentialing and billing oversight; Hospital Oversight Fund established; Independent Credentialing Review Board established; Medicaid Billing Oversight Task Force established; reports. Establishes a Hospital Oversight Fund, Independent Credentialing Review Board, and Medicaid Billing Oversight Task Force to fund and carry out oversight of credentialing, as that term is defined in the bill, for health care providers and Medicaid billing. The bill establishes protections for whistleblowers that report unsafe medical practices, fraudulent billing, or noncompliance with credentialing standards to the Department of Health; directs the Department to establish and maintain a statewide database for health care provider credentialing; and authorizes the Department to enter into public-private partnerships to conduct compliance audits. | H Left in Health and Human Services (2/5) | |
| HB 2679 | Atoosa R. Reaser; Laura Jane Cohen; Michael B. Feggans | School Boards; Threat Assessment Teams And Procedures, Etc. | School boards; threat assessment teams and procedures; parental notification of student determined to pose a threat of violence or physical harm to self or others; provision of certain recognition and response materials required. Requires each division superintendent or his designee to provide materials on recognition of and strategies for responding to behavior indicating that a student poses a threat of violence or physical harm to himself or others to the parent or legal guardian of any student who, according to a preliminary determination from a threat assessment team, poses such a threat. The bill specifies that the provision of such materials shall occur either in the initial attempt to immediately notify such student's parent or legal guardian pursuant to applicable law or through a separate communication to such student's parent or legal guardian made as soon as practicable thereafter. The bill (i) requires such materials to be selected in accordance with the criteria and guidelines developed by the Board of Education pursuant to the provisions of the bill; (ii) requires such materials to include information on the requirements set forth in applicable law relating to the safe storage of firearms in the presence of minors; and (iii) permits such materials to include guidance on best practices and strategies for limiting a student's access to lethal means, including firearms and medications. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0500) (3/24) | |
| HB 2765 | Chris Obenshain | Students; Statewide Anonymous Reporting Mobile Application. | Department of Education; statewide anonymous student reporting mobile application. Requires the Department of Education, with such funds as may be appropriated for such purpose pursuant to the general appropriation act or provided from any other source, and alone or in partnership with another state agency or a nonprofit organization, or a combination thereof, to (i) develop or procure a multiplatform compatible mobile application that permits any public elementary and secondary school student to submit anonymous reports relating to the health or safety of self or others, including threats of violence that are made on social media; (ii) train or contract for the training of individuals to respond to each such anonymous report in a timely and effective manner, including responding to the student and notifying the appropriate school official, local law-enforcement agency, or public safety answering point (PSAP), as that term is defined in relevant law; (iii) train students, parents, PSAP responders, law-enforcement officials, and school officials throughout the Commonwealth on the proper use of such mobile application; and (iv) provide permissible users with access to such mobile application at no cost. | H Incorporated by Education (HB2733-Higgins) (Voice Vote) (1/29) | |
| HB 2774 | JJ Singh | School-connected Student Overdoses; Policies Relating To Parental Notification, Guidelines. | School-connected student overdoses; policies relating to parental notification. Requires public school principals and heads of private schools in the Commonwealth to report certain information to the parents of enrolled students within 24 hours of a confirmed or suspected school-connected student overdose, as defined in the bill. This bill incorporates HB 2287 and HB 2424 and is identical to SB 1240. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0576) (3/24) | |
| HJ 441 | Marty Martinez | Elementary/secondary Schools; Va. Com. On Youth To Study Policies To Support Student Mental Health. | Study; Virginia Commission on Youth; policies to support student mental health in Virginia's elementary and secondary schools; report. Directs the Virginia Commission on Youth to undertake a study on policies to support student mental health in Virginia's elementary and secondary schools, with a focus on improving funding and other resources, training and professional development, partnerships with health services, curriculum development, research and evaluation, and public awareness campaigns. The Behavioral Health Commission, along with the staffs of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, are directed to provide assistance to the Commission during the course of the two-year study. | H Tabled in Rules (15-Y 0-N) (1/29) | |
| SB 738 | Schuyler T. VanValkenburg; Stella G. Pekarsky | Public Elementary & Secondary Schools; Bell-to-bell Student Cell Phone & Smart Device Possession. | Public elementary and secondary schools; student discipline; student cell phone possession and use policies; development and implementation. Directs each school board to develop and each public elementary and secondary school to implement age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate policies relating to the possession and use of cell phones by students on school property during regular school hours. The bill requires such policies to (i) restrict, to the fullest extent possible, student cell phone possession and use in the classroom during regular school hours; (ii) aim to reduce or prevent any distraction in or disruption to the learning environment, including bullying or harassment, that could be caused or facilitated by student cell phone possession and use on school property during regular school hours; (iii) ensure that implementation and enforcement of the policy is the responsibility of the administration, minimizes, to the extent possible, any conflict with the instructional responsibilities of teachers or any disruption to instructional time, and does not involve any school resource officer; (iv) include exceptions to such policies permitting any student, pursuant to an Individualized Education Plan or Section 504 Plan or if otherwise deemed appropriate by the school board, to possess and use a cell phone on school property, including in the classroom, during regular school hours to monitor or address a health concern; and (v) expressly prohibit any student from being suspended or expelled as a consequence of any violation of such policies. Finally, the bill clarifies that (a) no violation of any such student cell phone possession and use policy shall alone constitute sufficient cause for a student's suspension or expulsion from attendance at school and (b) any such violation that involves, coincides with, or results in an instance of disruptive behavior, as that term is defined in applicable law, shall be addressed in accordance with the regulations on codes of student conduct adopted by each school board pursuant to applicable law. This bill is identical to HB 1961. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0606) (4/2) | |
| SB 743 | Barbara A. Favola | Reproductive Health Care Services; Prohibitions On Extradition For Certain Crimes. | Reproductive health care services; prohibitions on extradition for certain crimes. Provides that no demand for extradition of a person charged with a criminal violation of law of another state shall be recognized by the Governor if such alleged violation involves the receipt or provision of or assistance with reproductive health care services, as defined in the bill, within the Commonwealth unless the alleged criminal violation would also constitute a criminal offense under the laws of the Commonwealth. The bill also provides that such limit on extradition shall not apply when the person who is accused of an alleged offense in the demanding state was physically present in the demanding state at the time of the commission of the alleged offense and thereafter fled from such state. | H Left in Courts of Justice (2/18) | |
| SB 747 | Barbara A. Favola | Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Courts; Delinquent Juveniles; Social Assessment & Evaluation. | Juvenile and domestic relations district courts; mental health and social assessments. Provides that if a juvenile is found to be delinquent, that a juvenile and domestic relations district court may, before final disposition of the case, direct the appropriate public agency to evaluate such juvenile's service needs using an interdisciplinary approach. The bill permits the juvenile and domestic relations district court, in the alternative, to consider an existing report from an interdisciplinary team if such interdisciplinary team met not more than 90 days prior to the finding that the juvenile is delinquent. | H Left in Courts of Justice (2/18) | |
| SB 752 | Barbara A. Favola | Bd. Of Psychology, Et Al., To Study Education, Training, Etc. | Board of Psychology; prescriptive authority for clinical psychologists work group; report. Directs the Boards of Psychology and Medicine to jointly convene a work group with stakeholders to study the education, training, and qualifications of clinical psychologists licensed in the Commonwealth and assess under what conditions it may be appropriate for clinical psychologists to be granted prescriptive authority. The bill requires the work group to report its findings to the Chairs of the House Committee on Health and Human Services and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by November 1, 2025. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0590) (3/24) | |
| SB 753 | Jennifer D. Carroll Foy; Barbara A. Favola | Standards Of Quality; Sol Assessments In Languages Other Than English, Development & Administration. | Standards of Quality; Standards of Learning assessments in languages other than English; development and administration. Requires (i) the Board of Education to develop Standards of Learning assessments in native languages other than English that are most commonly spoken in the Commonwealth; (ii) each school board to make available any such native language assessment to any English language learner student who speaks any such language natively and is identified as having limited English proficiency; (iii) the English language learner faculty at any such student's school to make the final determination as to whether administration of any such native language assessment is appropriate; and (iv) the provisions of the bill to be implemented by the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year. Finally, the bill directs the Department of Education to submit to the U.S. Department of Education by August 1, 2025 any amendments to its consolidated plan under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act, that are necessary to implement its provisions. | S Left in Finance and Appropriations (2/5) | |
| SB 768 | Barbara A. Favola | School-based Mental And Behavioral Health Services; Doe To Survey Local Education Agencies, Report. | Department of Education; survey of local education agencies on school-based mental and behavioral health services; report. Requires the Department of Education (the Department) to survey each local education agency (LEA) in the Commonwealth to determine (i) how public schools governed by such LEA currently grant access to local departments of social services and community services boards and other community-based providers of mental and behavioral health services and (ii) what school-based mental and behavioral health services are made available by such LEA. The bill requires the Department to utilize the results of and feedback from the survey to inform the continued development and improvement of guidelines for school professionals to support students and families by connecting them with community resources that provide mental and behavioral health services. The bill requires the Department to report to the Commission on Youth by November 1, 2025, any findings and recommendations that result from the survey. This bill is identical to HB 1947. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0239) (3/21) | |
| SB 778 | Mamie E. Locke | Juveniles; Adjudication Of Delinquency, When And How Child May Be Taken Into Immediate Custody. | Juveniles; adjudication of delinquency; penalty. Specifies that a delinquent child is a child 11 years of age or older who has committed a delinquent act. Currently, there is no minimum age for a child to be adjudicated delinquent. The bill provides that if a juvenile younger than 11 years of age is found to have committed an act that would be delinquent if committed by a child 11 years of age or older, the juvenile shall not be proceeded upon as delinquent; however, the court may make any orders of disposition authorized for a child in need of services or a child in need of supervision. The bill also provides that any funding that is available to provide services to a child 11 years of age or older who is proceeded upon as delinquent shall also be made available to a child younger than 11 years of age who is found to have committed an act that would be delinquent if committed by a child 11 years of age or older in order to provide such child the same services. The bill includes in the definition of 'child in need of services' a child younger than 11 years of age who has committed an act that would be delinquent if committed by a child 11 years of age or older. The bill adds that a child may be taken into immediate custody when such child is alleged to be in need of services or supervision and there is a clear and substantial danger to the child's life or health or the safety of the child's family or the public. Finally, the bill includes in the offense of causing or encouraging acts rendering children delinquent, abused, etc., any person 18 years of age or older, including the parent of any child, who willfully contributes to, encourages, or causes any act, omission, or condition that (i) causes a child younger than 11 years of age to commit an act that would be delinquent if committed by a child 11 years of age or older or (ii) causes any child to participate in or become a member of a criminal street gang in violation of existing law. Under the bill, any person who commits such offense is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. | S Senate sustained Governor's veto (4/2) | |
| SB 784 | David R. Suetterlein | Public School Accountability System; Three "e" Readiness Framework. | Board of Education; public school accountability system; Three 'E' Readiness Framework; include and incentivize work-based learning experiences. Directs the Board of Education to revise its Three 'E' Readiness Framework: Employment, Enlistment, and Enrollment, adopted pursuant to the public school accountability system to measure high school student postsecondary readiness, to include as an indicator of postsecondary readiness and incentivize participation in and completion of work-based learning experiences, with the maximum number of points for such indicator awarded to students who participate in a minimum of 90 hours of work-based learning experiences. This bill is identical to HB 2454. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0681) (5/2) | |
| SB 786 | Tammy Brankley Mulchi | Nationally Certified School Psychologist Program; Established. | Nationally Certified School Psychologist Program established; incorporation into National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund. Establishes the Nationally Certified School Psychologist Program and incorporates such program into the existing National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program. The bill also renames the National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program Fund as the National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program and Nationally Certified School Psychologist Program Fund (the Fund) and expands the purpose for which disbursements may be made from the Fund to include the award of incentive grants to school psychologists obtaining national certification from the National Association of School Psychologists consisting of an initial state-funded award of $5,000 and a subsequent award of $2,500 each year for the life of the certificate. | S Left in Finance and Appropriations (2/5) | |
| SB 792 | Christopher T. Head | Schev; Publishing Of Certain Institution-level Data On Website Required. | State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; publishing of certain institution-level data on website required. Requires the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to annually publish in an easily accessible format and location on its website data for each public institution of higher education and each nonprofit private institution of higher education eligible to participate in the Tuition Assistance Grant Program on the (i) cost of tuition and fees; (ii) student retention rate; (iii) student graduation rate; (iv) wages of former students three years after graduation; (v) 20 baccalaureate degree programs with the highest average annual wages following graduation; and (vi) 20 associate degree or certificate programs with the highest average annual wages following graduation. The bill requires such data to be presented in a user-friendly format so that the user can compare the data clearly and visually. | S Passed by indefinitely in Education and Health (9-Y 6-N) (1/23) | |
| SB 799 | Barbara A. Favola | School Health Services Committee; Extends Sunset Date. | School Health Services Committee; sunset. Extends from July 1, 2025, to July 1, 2028, the sunset date for the School Health Services Committee. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0352) (3/21) | |
| SB 826 | Mamie E. Locke | Predetermination For Licensing Eligibility; Prior Convictions. | Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; Department of Health Professions; predetermination for licensing eligibility; prior convictions. Prohibits the use of vague or arbitrary terms by a regulatory board within the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation or Department of Health when refusing a person a license, certificate, or registration to practice, pursue, or engage in any regulated occupation or profession. The bill requires such regulatory board denying a registration, license, or certificate based on information in the applicant's criminal history record to notify the applicant in writing of (i) the specific offense or offenses that contributed to such denial; (ii) how the criminal history directly relates to the occupation for which the registration, license, or certificate applies; and (iii) how the regulatory board weighed rehabilitation factors when making its decision. The bill further allows an applicant to request a written predetermination from a regulatory board within the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation concerning whether his criminal record would disqualify him from obtaining a license, certificate, registration, or other authority to engage in a particular occupation, trade, or profession in the Commonwealth. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0505) (3/24) | |
| SB 841 | Barbara A. Favola | Opioid Treatment Programs; Dispensing, Medications From Mobile Units. | Board of Pharmacy; Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; opioid treatment programs; mobile units; report. Directs the Board of Pharmacy, in collaboration with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, to develop and implement a process by which opioid treatment programs can apply for and receive the necessary permissions and waivers to dispense opioid use disorder treatment medications from mobile units. The bill directs the Board to report to the Joint Commission on Health Care by November 1, 2025, on the status of and any barriers to the development and implementation of such process. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care. | H Left in Appropriations (2/18) | |
| SB 968 | Jennifer D. Carroll Foy | School Boards; Support Services Personnel, Annual Collection Of Certain Staffing Data Required. | Board of Education; support services personnel; annual collection of certain staffing data required; report. Requires (i) each school board to, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, annually collect and submit to the Department of Education a report on data on the average salaries of support services personnel, as that term is defined in the bill, employed by the school board and (ii) the Department to, beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, annually compile such data, include it in the Annual School Report, and publicly post it on the Department's website. The bill requires each school board and the Department to disaggregate the data by career categories of support services personnel and specialized student support personnel as set forth in applicable law. This bill is identical to HB 1983. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0578) (3/24) | |
| SB 1003 | Danica A. Roem | School Breakfasts; Availability At No Cost To Students. | School breakfasts; availability at no cost to students. Requires each school board to require each public elementary and secondary school in the local school division to participate in the federal National School Lunch Program and the federal School Breakfast Program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and to make breakfast available to any student who requests such a meal at no cost to the student, unless the student's parent has provided written permission to the school board to withhold such a meal from the student. The bill requires the Department of Education to reimburse each public elementary and secondary school for each school breakfast served to a student, with a maximum of one breakfast per student per school day and provides the formula for determining the state reimbursement rate for such meals. Finally, the bill repeals a provision of law relating to the federal School Breakfast Program that is rendered obsolete by the provisions of the bill. | S Left in Finance and Appropriations (2/5) | |
| SB 1016 | Mamie E. Locke; Stella G. Pekarsky; Danica A. Roem | Hunger-free Campus Food Pantry Grant Program; Established, Report. | Institutions of higher education; Hunger-Free Campus Food Pantry Grant Program established; report. Establishes the Hunger-Free Campus Food Pantry Grant Program to address student food insecurity at public institutions of higher education and eligible private institutions of higher education, as defined by the bill. The bill provides that the Program shall be managed by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and available for participation by public institutions of higher education and eligible private institutions of higher education; however, participation in the Program is optional for such institutions. Under the bill, if a public institution of higher education or eligible private institution of higher education satisfies certain criteria set out in the bill, including creating initiatives on campus to address student food insecurity, it will receive a 'Hunger-Free Campus Food Pantry' designation and the Council will award a grant to such institution. Any such institution that receives a grant under the bill is required to utilize the funds to support on-campus efforts and initiatives to eliminate student food insecurity at such institution through the maintenance and operation of the on-campus food pantry established pursuant to the Program. The bill requires the Council to submit a report to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Education no later than two years after the establishment of the Program. This bill is identical to HB 2240. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0425) (3/24) | |
| SB 1018 | Danica A. Roem | Higher Educational Institutions, Public; Snap Eligibility, Applications, And Participation. | Public institutions of higher education; Department of Social Services; SNAP eligibility, applications, and participation; guidance, resources, and education. Requires the Department of Social Services (the Department) to (i) develop, annually update, and provide to each public institution of higher education in advance of the start of each school year an information sheet on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) with information relating to SNAP eligibility, applications, participation, requirements, and such other information as the Department deems necessary or appropriate, relevant to students enrolled in public institutions of higher education and (ii) provide information, resources, and education to certain faculty members employed by each public institution of higher education regarding opportunities for assisting students enrolled in public institutions of higher education with completing SNAP applications. The bill requires each public institution of higher education to ensure that such SNAP information sheet developed by the Department is provided to each student enrolled in such institution at the beginning of the fall semester of each school year or, in the case of any student who enrolls after the beginning of the fall semester, as soon as practicable after enrollment and is included in any orientation materials distributed to each new student. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0426) (3/24) | |
| SB 1031 | Stella G. Pekarsky | Public Elementary And Secondary Schools; Compulsory Attendance Requirements, Religious Exemption. | Public elementary and secondary schools; compulsory attendance requirements; religious exemption; requirements. Amends the provisions permitting any child and his parents to receive an exemption from school attendance by reason of bona fide religious training or belief, as defined in relevant law, to require the parent of any such child, in order to receive such exemption, to provide (i) evidence of the parent's ability to provide an adequate education for his child; (ii) notice to the division superintendent by August 15 of each year, or as soon as practicable in the event that such child and his parents move into the school division or seek to receive an exemption after the start of the school year, of such child and his parents' intention to receive such an exemption and certification that the child will receive an alternative form of instruction, including a description of the curriculum to be studied in the coming year; and (iii) evidence of the child's progress in accordance with the provisions of the bill. | S Passed by indefinitely in Finance and Appropriations (13-Y 2-N) (1/30) | |
| SB 1036 | Stella G. Pekarsky | Seizure Rescue Meds.; Administration By Certain School Employees, Possession By Certain Students. | Seizure rescue medications; administration by certain school employees; possession by certain students. Permits a prescriber to authorize an employee of (i) a school board, (ii) a school for students with disabilities, (iii) an accredited private school, (iv) a local governing body, or (v) a local health department who is trained in the administration of seizure rescue medications for the treatment of seizures resulting from a condition causing seizures to administer such medications to a student diagnosed with a condition causing seizures when the student is believed to be experiencing or about to experience a seizure pursuant to a written order or standing protocol issued within the course of the prescriber's professional practice and with the consent of the student's parents. The bill provides that any such authorized employee who administers or assists in the administration of such medications to a student diagnosed with a condition causing seizures when the student is believed to be experiencing or about to experience a seizure in accordance with the prescriber's instructions shall not be liable for any civil damages for ordinary negligence in acts or omissions resulting from the rendering of such treatment. The bill also permits any local school board to adopt and implement policies (a) permitting any student enrolled in any elementary or secondary school in the local school division who has a diagnosis of a condition causing seizures to possess seizure rescue medications during the school day, at school-sponsored activities, or while on a school bus or other school property if the student's parent has submitted a seizure management and action plan that includes written consent of the parent and written approval of the student's primary care provider for such self-possession or (b) for the administration of seizure rescue medications to any student enrolled in any elementary or secondary school in the local school division who has a diagnosis of a condition causing seizures, consistent with the provisions of the bill relating to prescriber authorization. This bill is identical to HB 2104. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0065) (3/18) | |
| SB 1037 | Russet Perry; Stella G. Pekarsky | School Boards; School-based Telehealth And Mental Health Teletherapy Services, Accessibility. | School boards; student access to telehealth services; policies. Directs each school board to consider, for the purpose of increasing access to health care services for students, developing and implementing policies for permitting any public school student in the school division to schedule and participate in telehealth services, including mental health teletherapy services pursuant to a memorandum of understanding with a nationally recognized school-based telehealth provider developed in accordance with applicable law, on school property during regular school hours with parental consent. The bill requires any such policies developed and implemented by a school board to (i) require each public elementary and secondary school to designate a location in the school for student use for such telehealth appointments and implement measures to ensure the safety and privacy of any student participating in a telehealth appointment, (ii) prohibit any student from being subject to any disciplinary measure or consequence for participating in a telehealth appointment during regular school hours if such student would not be subject to any disciplinary measure or consequence for an absence for the purpose of receiving any health care services in person during regular school hours, and (iii) include such other requirements as the school board deems necessary and appropriate. Finally, the bill requires any school board that develops and implements any policies for permitting students to schedule and participate in telehealth services pursuant to the bill to provide and post in a publicly accessible location on its website at the beginning of each school year guidance relating to the implementation of such policies for administrative and instructional personnel. This bill incorporates SB 1130 and is identical to HB 1945. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0563) (3/24) | |
| SB 1048 | Stella G. Pekarsky | School Board Policies; Parental Notification, Safe Storage Of Prescription Drugs And Firearms, Etc. | School board policies; parental notification; safe storage of prescription drugs and 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, if applicable, SMS text message within 30 calendar days succeeding the first day of each school year, of (i) the importance of securely storing any prescription drug, as defined in relevant law, present in the household and (ii) the parent's legal responsibility to safely store any firearm present in the household. The bill requires each school board to make such parental notification available in multiple languages on its website. This bill is identical to HB 1678. | G Vetoed by Governor (5/2) | |
| SB 1074 | Mark J. Peake | Youth Health Protection Act; Established, Civil Penalty. | Youth Health Protection Act established; civil penalty. Creates the Youth Health Protection Act, which makes it unlawful for any individual to provide gender transition procedures, defined in the bill, for minors and prohibits the use of public funds for gender transition procedures. The bill allows parents, guardians, or custodians to withhold consent for any treatment, activity, or mental health care services that are designed or intended to form their child's conceptions of sex and gender or to treat gender dysphoria or gender nonconformity. The bill prohibits government agents, other than law-enforcement personnel, from encouraging or coercing a minor to withhold information from the minor's parent. The bill establishes a duty for a government agent with knowledge that a minor has exhibited symptoms of gender dysphoria or gender nonconformity or otherwise demonstrates a desire to be treated in a manner incongruent with the minor's sex to immediately notify each of the minor's parents, guardians, or custodians in writing, with descriptions of relevant circumstances. The bill prohibits discrimination against persons (i) providing information regarding violations of the Act to their employer or specified public entities or (ii) who make disclosures under the Act of information that evinces any violation of law, rule, or regulation; any violation of any standard of care or other ethical guidelines for the provision of health care service; or gross mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety. The bill establishes a civil action for any violation of the Act by a clinic, health care system, medical professional, or other responsible person with a two-year statute of limitations. The bill prohibits political subdivisions of the Commonwealth from enacting, adopting, maintaining, or enforcing any measure that interferes with the professional conduct and judgment of a mental health care professional or counselor undertaken within the course of treatment and communication with clients, patients, other persons, or the public. The bill provides for enforcement by the Attorney General or a mental health care professional or counselor through an action for injunctive relief and allows a mental health care professional to recover reasonable attorney fees and reasonable costs incurred in obtaining an injunction. The bill waives sovereign immunity to suit and immunity from liability under this statute. | S Passed by indefinitely in Education and Health (9-Y 6-N) (1/23) | |
| SB 1126 | Jennifer B. Boysko | Students With Individualized Education Programs Or Section 504 Plans; Emergency Protocol And Guide. | Students with individualized education programs or Section 504 Plans; emergency protocol and guide. Requires each individualized education program implemented for a public school student with a disability in accordance with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and each Section 504 Plan implemented for a public school student in accordance with ? 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to contain an addendum that has been reviewed and signed by the student's parent and that includes a protocol for individualized accommodations and supports for the student during emergency situations at school and a step-by-step guide on how to execute such protocol. The bill requires such addendum to be provided to all of such student's teachers for implementation. | S Failed to report (defeated) in Education and Health (2-Y 8-N 5-A) (1/30) | |
| SB 1130 | Russet Perry | School-based Mental Health Teletherapy Services; Policies And Requirements. | School boards; school-based mental health teletherapy services; increasing accessibility of mental health teletherapy services; policies and requirements. Directs the Department of Education (the Department) to include in the model memorandum of understanding between a school board and a nationally recognized school-based telehealth provider that it is required to develop and distribute to each school board pursuant to applicable law parameters for the provision of mental health teletherapy for students outside of regular school hours and during regular school hours on school property. The bill also requires each school board to, for the purpose of increasing the accessibility of mental health services for public school students, (i) permit any student enrolled in the school division to schedule and participate in mental health teletherapy services during regular school hours on the same basis as such students are permitted to participate in school counseling services; (ii) enter into a memorandum of understanding, consistent with the model memorandum of understanding developed by the Department, with a nationally recognized school-based telehealth provider that ensures and sets forth parameters for the provision of such mental health teletherapy services during regular school hours; (iii) develop and implement policies and procedures for permitting any student to participate in such mental health teletherapy services during regular school hours; and (iv) develop, post in a publicly accessible location on its website, and make available to all administrative and instructional personnel in the school division at the beginning of each school year informational materials relating to such mental health teletherapy policies. | S Incorporated by Education and Health (SB1037-Pekarsky) (15-Y 0-N) (1/23) | |
| SB 1143 | Mark D. Obenshain | Public Elementary & Secondary Schools; Copies Of Minor's Discharge Plan Sent To Schools And Parents. | Discharge plans; copies to public elementary and secondary schools. Provides that, prior to the discharge of any minor admitted to inpatient treatment (i) who is a student at a public elementary or secondary school and (ii) for whom the facility deems (a) such discharge poses a threat of violence or physical harm to himself and others or (b) additional educational services are needed, such facility is required to provide to the school's mental health professional or school counselor the portions of such discharge plan relevant to the threat of violence or harm or the necessary additional educational services. The bill requires such facility to, prior to providing any such portions of any minor's discharge plan, provide to the parent of such minor student reasonable notice of the types of information that would be included in any portions of the discharge plan being provided and of the parent's right to, upon written request, refuse the provision of any such information. | H Left in Education (2/18) | |
| SB 1146 | Timmy F. French | Juveniles; Possession Or Use Of Tobacco Or Vape Products On School Grounds, Etc., Civil Penalties. | Persons under 21 years of age; possession or use of tobacco products or vape products on school grounds, etc.; civil penalties. Prohibits any person under 21 years of age from possessing a tobacco product on a school bus, on school property, or at a school-sponsored activity. The bill requires that each local school board implement an educational rehabilitation program for a first violation. The bill permits a law-enforcement officer to issue a summons upon a second violation within a single school year and requires a court to order up to eight hours of community service. Upon a third violation within a single school year, the bill adds a civil penalty of up to $50. For a fourth or subsequent violation within a single school year, the bill requires punishment include a civil penalty of up to $50 or up to eight hours of community service. Additionally, the bill requires that the civil penalty be paid in person at the courthouse for the locality by such person accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, unless such person is 18 years of age or older and not enrolled at the school where the offense occurred. The bill directs the Board of Education and local school boards to amend any affected policies by July 1, 2026. | H Left in Courts of Justice (2/18) | |
| SB 1262 | Stella G. Pekarsky | Restorative Schools In Virginia Pilot Program; Established, Report, Sunset Date. | Public schools; student discipline; Restorative Schools in Virginia Pilot Program; established. Establishes the Restorative Schools in Virginia Pilot Program (the Program), to be administered by the Department of Education (the Department), for the purpose of addressing school discipline issues and promoting evidence-based restorative practices, as that term is defined in the bill, in public schools in the Commonwealth by awarding grants to an eligible school in each superintendent's region in the Commonwealth to be used in developing and implementing a comprehensive plan to integrate evidence-based restorative practices in such schools in accordance with the provisions of the bill. The bill directs the Department to (i) develop the application process by which a school board may apply on behalf of an eligible school, as defined in the bill, in the applicable school division to receive funds pursuant to the Program; (ii) establish criteria for the selection and award of grants pursuant to the Program; and (iii) develop a process for evaluating the progress and performance of each eligible school selected to receive a grant pursuant to the Program in implementing such evidence-based restorative practices and satisfying the Program requirements set forth in the bill. The bill requires any eligible school selected to receive funds pursuant to the Program, in collaboration with the applicable school board, to (a) establish a learning collaborative for the purpose of developing a comprehensive plan for implementing evidence-based restorative practices in such school in accordance with the provisions of the bill and (b) submit to the Department by July 1 of each year a report on the school's progress in implementing such evidence-based restorative practices for the preceding school year. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2027. | S Left in Finance and Appropriations (2/5) | |
| SB 1264 | Lamont Bagby | Career And Technical Education Courses, Pathways, And Credentials; Biennial Review, Report. | Board of Education; career and technical education courses, pathways, and credentials; biennial review; report. Requires the Board of Education and the Virginia Board of Workforce Development, with the assistance of the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement and the Virginia Office of Education Economics, the Department of Education, the Virginia Community College System, and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, to conduct, beginning with the fiscal year starting July 1, 2025, and each odd-numbered year thereafter, a biennial review of all career and technical education course, pathway, and credential offerings available to public school students across the Commonwealth for the purpose of ensuring that all such career and technical education course, pathway, and credential offerings are (i) aligned with current and emerging industry and workforce needs, demands, and standards and (ii) designed to effectively prepare students for postsecondary success through gainful employment in a high-demand industry or field, enrollment in postsecondary education, or enlistment in the United States Armed Forces. The bill requires the Board of Education and the Virginia Board of Workforce Development to develop and submit to the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Labor, and the chairs of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by October 1 of each odd-numbered year, beginning with October 1, 2025, a report on each such biennial review. | S Left in Finance and Appropriations (2/5) | |
| SB 1290 | R. Creigh Deeds | Health Insurance; Reimbursement For Services Rendered By Certain Practitioners. | Health insurance; reimbursement for services rendered by certain practitioners other than physicians. Requires health insurers and health service plan providers whose accident and sickness insurance policies or subscription contracts cover services that may be legally performed by a physician assistant to provide equal coverage for such services when rendered by a licensed athletic trainer when such services are performed in an office setting. Additionally, the bill requires the reimbursement or payment for a service provided by certain licensed practitioners listed in the bill to be in the same amount as the reimbursement or payment paid under such policy or subscription contract to a licensed physician performing such service in the area served. | S Passed by indefinitely in Commerce and Labor with letter (15-Y 0-N) (2/3) | |
| SB 1363 | Todd E. Pillion | Health Professions, Board Of; Transfer Of Powers And Duties. | Elimination of Board of Health Professions; transfer of powers and duties. Eliminates the Board of Health Professions and transfers certain powers and duties from the Board to the Department of Health Professions. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0341) (3/21) | |
| SB 1370 | Kannan Srinivasan | Model Memorandum Of Understanding; Counseling From School Counselors By Way Of Telehealth. | Department of Education; model memorandum of understanding; counseling from school counselors by way of telehealth. Provides that the model memorandum of understanding developed by the Department of Education for partnerships with community mental health services providers or school-based telehealth providers shall include procedures allowing for students to receive counseling from school counselors by way of telehealth. This bill is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Pandemic Response and Preparedness in the Commonwealth and is identical to HB 2543. | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0628) (4/2) | |
| SB 1462 | Russet Perry; Lamont Bagby | High School Graduation Requirements; History And Social Studies Credits, Etc. | High school graduation requirements; history and social studies credits; certain substitutions permitted. Requires the Board of Education, in establishing high school graduation requirements, to permit any student to substitute the African American History course or the Advanced Placement African American Studies course for the World History I course or the World Geography course for the purpose of satisfying the history and social studies credit requirements, provided that enrollment in such an African American History course or Advanced Placement African American Studies course is available to the student. This bill is identical to HB 1824. | G Vetoed by Governor (5/2) |