This morning, the Students and Early Education Subcommittee of the House Education Committee took the following action:
HB 1406 (Bell) would require school boards annually to provide educational information about or screenings for eating disorders in students in grades 5 - 12. The bill also established a work group to update the Virginia School Health Guidelines to assist school boards in providing the information or screenings. Del. Bell confirmed that school boards can comply with the requirements of this bill by distributing information about eating disorders electronically, such as by posting it on the division website. The bill was recommended for reporting.
HB 1377 (Cole) would have, among other things, required school boards to provide training on diabetes care to all employees. It would also allow the parents of a student with diabetes to develop a diabetes care plan in which the parents could dictate what care and services the school system must provide to the student. This bill would have imposed a significant cost on school boards. The bill died in subcommittee for lack of a motion.
HB 1420 (Pogge) directs the BOE to promulgate regulations defining the term "intervener" as an individual with knowledge and skill in the mode of communication of a deaf-blind student and who can communicate to the deaf-blind student what is occurring in the student's educational setting. The bill was reported and referred to Appropriations.
HB 1468 (Greason) fixes an omission from the legislation last year that allowed school board employees to possess and administer epinephrine to students. The bill adds employees of a local governing and employees of a local health department to the list of individuals who can possess and administer epinephrine in schools. The reason for the bill is that some school divisions do not employ school nurses directly. Rather, the nurses are employed by wither the health department or the local governing body. The bill was recommended for reporting.
