The House Education Committee met this morning and
considered the following bills of interest:
HB 1652 (Robinson) would make local school boards responsible for setting the school
calendar and determining the opening day of the school year and eliminates the
post-Labor Day opening requirement and "good cause" scenarios for
which the Board of Education may grant waivers of this requirement. The bill
requires local school boards that set the school calendar with a pre-Labor Day
opening date, except those schools that were granted a "good cause"
waiver for the 2018-2019 school year, to close all schools in the division from
(i) the Thursday immediately preceding Labor Day through Labor Day or (ii) the
Friday immediately preceding Labor Day through the Tuesday immediately
succeeding Labor Day. The bill was reported
on a vote of 13-3
HB 1739 (Rush) specifies
that, for the purpose of eligibility for grants for security equipment through
the Public School Security Equipment Grant Act of 2013, security equipment includes
software and mobile applications.
The bill was reported on a vote of 16-1.
HB 2297 (Simon) requires every person of school age to be deemed to reside in
a school division for the purpose of eligibility for free public elementary and
secondary education in such school division when all or any portion of the
building in which such person resides with certain other individuals or as an
emancipated minor is taxable by the locality in which the school division is
located. The bill was reported on a vote
of 18-0.
HB 1881 (Keam) was
amended with a substitute. The
substitute requires instruction
concerning the health and safety risks of using nicotine vapor products to be
provided in public schools. The bill was
reported and referred to Appropriations on a vote of 18-0.
HB 1868 (Hurst) renames
the Virginia Index of Performance (VIP) incentive program as the Exemplar
School Recognition Program (the Program) and makes several changes to the
Program to align it with recent changes made by the Board of Education (the
Board) to the Standards of Accreditation, including requiring the Board to
design the Program to recognize and reward (i) schools that exceed
Board-established requirements or show continuous improvement on academic and
school quality indicators and (ii) schools, school divisions, and school boards
that implement effective, innovative practices that are aligned with the
Commonwealth's goals for public education.
The bill was reported on a vote of 11-7.
HB 1985 (Bell, R.P.) requires the Department
of Education to annually collect from each school board and publish on its
website various enrollment and achievement data on alternative education
programs for students who have been suspended, expelled, or otherwise precluded
from attendance at school. The bill requires such data to be published in a
manner that protects the identities of individual students and disaggregated by
local school division and by student race, ethnicity, gender, and
disability. The bill was reported on a
vote of 18-0.
HB 2008 (Garrett) requires the Department of Education, in consultation
with representatives from pertinent industries such as renewable energy,
natural gas, nuclear energy, coal, and oil, to establish an energy career
cluster. The bill requires the Department of Education to base the knowledge
and skill sets contained in such energy career cluster on the energy industry
competency and credential models developed by the Center for Energy Workforce
Development in partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor. The bill further
requires the Department of Education to report to the Chairmen of the House
Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health no
later than December 1, 2019, on its progress toward establishing such energy
career cluster. The bill was reported on
a vote of 18-0.
HB 2053 (McQuinn) requires the Department of Education, in consultation
with representatives from pertinent industries such as renewable energy,
natural gas, nuclear energy, coal, and oil, to establish an energy career
cluster. The bill requires the Department of Education to base the knowledge
and skill sets contained in such energy career cluster on the energy industry
competency and credential models developed by the Center for Energy Workforce
Development in partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor. The bill further
requires the Department of Education to report to the Chairmen of the House
Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health no
later than December 1, 2019, on its progress toward establishing such energy
career cluster. The Committee voted to
report and refer to Appropriations on a vote of 17-0.
HB 2124
(Davis) requires the Board of Education to waive the requirement that school
divisions provide additional teaching days or teaching hours to compensate for
school closings resulting from an evacuation directed and compelled by the
Governor. The bill provides that there shall be no proportionate reduction in
the amount paid by the Commonwealth from the Basic School Aid Fund or the
amount paid by a local governing body. The
Committee voted to report and refer the bill to Appropriations on a vote of
17-0.
HB 2140
(Thomas) permits the Board of Education to waive
the requirement to set the school calendar so that the first day students are
required to attend school must be after Labor Day for any school board that
certifies to the Board of Education that the school division is entirely
surrounded by school divisions that each have an opening date prior to Labor
Day in the school year for which the waiver is sought. The Committee voted to report the bill on a
vote of 17-0.
HB 2145 (Turpin) requires each local school board to (i) administer the
model exit questionnaire for teachers developed by the Superintendent of Public
Instruction to each teacher who ceases to be employed in the school division
for any reason and (ii) collect, maintain, and report on the results of each
such questionnaire in a manner that ensures the confidentiality of each
teacher's name and other personally identifying information. Under current law,
such model exit questionnaire for teachers is administered in five school
divisions pursuant to a pilot program. The Committee voted to report and refer
to Appropriations on a vote of 10-7.
HB 2417 (Turpin) aligns the state review
process of underperforming schools and school divisions with the new Standards
for Accreditation adopted by the Board of Education (Board). The bill requires
the Department of Education to cause an academic or other review to be
conducted to assist schools not meeting requirements for school quality
indicators established by the Board. The Board may require a local school board
to develop a corrective action plan for any such school within its division.
The bill requires a school board of a school division that does not demonstrate
progress in implementing such corrective action plan to enter into a memorandum
of understanding with the Board. The bill also requires the school board of an
underperforming school division to enter into a memorandum of understanding
with the Board prior to developing a corrective action plan. The Committee voted to report the bill on a
vote of 20-0.
HB 2325 (Thomas) requires the Board of
Education to include in its regulations that prescribe the requirements for the
licensure of teachers and other school personnel required to hold a license
procedures for the private reprimand of such license holders. The bill permits
the Board of Education to issue private reprimand to any such license holder
who knowingly and willfully commits a certain enumerated act relating to secure
mandatory tests administered to students. The only express disciplinary actions
that are permissible under current law in such a scenario are suspension or
revocation of such individual's license. The bill also permits a school board
or division superintendent to issue private reprimand to a teacher who breaches
his employment contract after the school board or division superintendent
declines to grant such teacher's request for release from such contract on the
grounds of insufficient or unjustifiable cause. The only express disciplinary
action that is permissible under current law in such a scenario is revocation
of such teacher's license. The
subcommittee amended the bill to allow for a written reprimand, notice of which
must be given to all division superintendents.
The
Committee voted to report the bill on a vote of 19-0.
HB 2384 (Hope) requires each school board to (i) develop and implement a policy to
prohibit the use and distribution of tobacco products and nicotine vapor
products on a school bus, on school property, or at an on-site or off-site
school-sponsored activity and (ii) include in its code of student conduct a
prohibition against possessing tobacco products or nicotine vapor products on a
school bus, on school property, or at an on-site or off-site school-sponsored
activity. Current law only places these requirements on each school board with
regard to electronic cigarettes. The bill requires such policy to include
adequate provisions for enforcement among students, employees, and visitors,
including the enumeration of possible sanctions or disciplinary action
consistent with state or federal law, and referrals to resources to help staff
and students overcome tobacco addiction. The bill provides such policies may
include procedures for effectively communicating the policy to students, their
parents and families, school personnel, visitors on school premises, and local
residents, groups, businesses, and other organizations served by the school.
The
Committee voted to report the bill on a vote of 18-1.
HB 2400 (Roem) requires each local school board that collects information to determine
eligibility for participation in the School Breakfast Program or the National
School Lunch Program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to
establish and post prominently on its website a web-based application for
student participation in such program and to continue to provide a paper-based
application. The bill permits any school board in establishing such an
application to adopt the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Web-Based Prototype
Application for Free and Reduced Price School Meals or to digitize its existing
paper-based application. The Committee
voted that the bill be reported on a vote of 19-0.
HB 2486 (Robinson) requires the Board of Education (Board) to provide
for the issuance of a provisional license, valid for a period not to exceed
three years, to any individual who has successfully completed the American
Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence alternative teacher certification
program and who meets the basic conditions for licensure established by the
Board pursuant to subsection A of 8VAC20-23-40.
The Committee voted to report the bill on a vote of 18-0.
HB 2593 (Rodman) Directs
the Board of Education to review and update the health Standards of Learning
for students in all grades to include mental health. Legislation passed in 2018
required such review and update for students in grades nine and 10. The Committee voted to report and refer the
bill to Appropriations on a vote of 17-1.
HB 2623
(Ransone) a substitute was adopted which would require the Board of Education
to develop a model policy regarding the provision of mental health counseling
to
students. The
Committee voted to report the substitute on a vote of 16-0.
HB 2662 (Landes)
directs the Board of Education, in establishing
high school graduation requirements, to require students to complete (i) a work
experience such as an internship, an externship, or another work-based or
service-based learning experience during eleventh or twelfth grade and (ii) a
capstone project that aligns with and further develops the knowledge and skills
attained through such work experience. The
Committee voted to report the substitute on a vote of 18-0.
HB 2721 (Freitas) allows a school security officer to carry a firearm in
the performance of his duties if, within 10 years immediately prior to being
hired by the local school board, he was employed by a law-enforcement agency of
the United States or any state or political subdivision thereof and his duties
were substantially similar to those of a law-enforcement officer in the
Commonwealth. Under current law, only a school security officer who was an
active law-enforcement officer in the Commonwealth within 10 years immediately
prior to being hired by the local school board may qualify to carry a firearm
in the performance of his duties. The
Committee voted to report the bill on a vote of 13-4.
Subcommittee #1 of the House Education Committee met this
evening and considered the following bills:
HB 1643 (Hope) was amended to require the Board of Education to
develop guidelines establish a process for school board to seek alternate routes
to provisional or renewable licensure for teachers. The bill was recommended for reporting by the
subcommittee on a vote of 8-0.
HB 1753 (Sickles) was amended in subcommittee to prohibit the
use of electronic room partitions whenever students are present in the building
unless the partition is fitted with safety sensors. The subcommittee recommended the bill to be
reported on a vote of 8-0.
HB 2205 (Filler-Corn) would require any high school family life
education curriculum offered by a local school division to incorporate
age-appropriate elements of effective and evidence-based programs on the law
and meaning of consent. Under current law, such elements are permissive in any
high school family life education curriculum.
The subcommittee recommended the bill to be reported on a vote of 8-0.
HB 2338 (Landes) was amended in subcommittee to require the
Board of Education to require in the graduation requirements a requirement that
students earn one verified credit in Virginia and U.S. history by passing an
SOL assessment, Board approved standardized test, or earning a locally awarded
verified credit. The subcommittee recommended
the bill to be reported on a vote of 5-3.
HB 2508 (Pogge) would include licensed behavior analysts and
licensed assistant behavior analysts as support services positions in the SOQ. The subcommittee recommended the bill to be
reported and referred to Appropriations on a vote of 8-0.
HB 2520 (Ayala) was amended to require the Secretary of Education
to establish the 21-member College and Career Readiness Steering Committee to
(i) develop and oversee implementation of a strategic plan for ensuring that
all students in the Commonwealth, and particularly subgroups of students who
have been historically underserved, graduate from high school (a) meeting the
requirements for an advanced studies diploma, (b) having had the opportunity to
participate and succeed in pathways that integrate rigorous academic
instruction aligned with the Standards of Learning, including career and
technical education, work-based learning, wraparound services, and
opportunities to earn credit for postsecondary education while enrolled in high
school, and (c) having had a high school experience that is aligned with
expectations for postsecondary education and employer demand and (ii) provide
certain recommendations, guidance, leadership, goals, and assistance relating
to the implementation of such strategic plan.
The subcommittee recommended the bill to be reported on a vote of 6-2.
HB 2574 (LaRock) would allow a local school board, when applying
for its school division to be designated as a School Division of Innovation, to
apply to the Board of Education to replace certain Standards of Learning
assessments with performance-based assessments. The bill requires the Board to
determine if the local school board has the capacity to administer and score
performance-based assessments and provides criteria for such determination. The
bill requires any proposed performance-based assessment to be an adequate
replacement of the relevant Standards of Learning assessment and requires
students to demonstrate the knowledge and skills required by the relevant
Standards of Learning and one or more of critical thinking, creativity,
collaboration, communication, or citizenship. The standards of learning
assessments eligible for replacement are (i) Virginia Studies, (ii) Civics and
Economics, (iii) elementary school science, and (iv) middle school science. The
bill further requires the Board to promulgate any necessary regulations and to
submit to the U.S. Department of Education any necessary amendments to its
consolidated state plan. The subcommittee
recommended the bill to be reported on a vote of 8-0.
HB 2599 (Bell, John B.) was amended to require the Board of
Education, in adopting regulations regarding restraint and seclusion to
identify and prohibit methods of restrain or seclusion that the Board
determines pose a significant danger to the student and establish safety
standards for seclusion. The subcommittee
recommended the bill to be reported on a vote of 8-0.
HB 2646 (Hugo) would reduce from 29 to 28 the maximum class size
in kindergarten; from 30 to 28 the maximum class size in grades one, two, and
three; and from 35 to 29 the maximum class size in grades four, five, and six. The subcommittee recommended the bill to be
reported and referred to Appropriations on a vote of 8-0.
HB 2720 (Gooditis) specifies that, for the purpose of
eligibility for grants for security equipment through the Public School
Security Equipment Grant Act of 2013, security equipment includes building
modifications and fixtures, such as security vestibules. The subcommittee recommended the bill to be
reported on a vote of 8-0.
HB2382 (Hurst) would declare that, except in certain limited circumstances, a
student journalist at a public elementary or secondary school or public
institution of higher education has the right to exercise freedom of speech and
the press in school-sponsored media, including determining the news, opinion,
feature, and advertising content of school-sponsored media, regardless of
whether the media is supported financially by the school board, supported
through the use of school facilities in the school division, or produced in
conjunction with a course or class in which the student is enrolled. The bill
defines "school-sponsored media" as any material that is prepared,
substantially written, published, or broadcast by a student journalist at a
public elementary or secondary school or public institution of higher education
under the direction of a student media adviser and distributed or generally
made available to members of the student body.
The bill failed on a 3-5 vote.
HB2570 (LaRock) would have required an affirmative parental opt-in for any
student to participate in the family life curriculum. The bill failed on a vote of 4-4.
HB2612 (VanValkenburg) would have required an average of 45 minutes of planning
time daily for elementary school teachers.
The bill was tabled on a vote of 5-3.
HB 2463 (Tran) would shift the burden of proof to the local
school board in most special education due process hearings. The subcommittee voted to pass the bill by
and request that the Chairman of the House Education Committee request that the
issue be included in an ongoing JLARC study.
