Governor Spanberger signs bipartisan bills to strengthen schools and support students

Governor Abigail Spanberger signed bills to support high school career and technical education, streamline financial aid, & empower parents to engage in their child’s course selection. 

Additionally, the Governor signed legislation into law to strengthen school construction and modernization planning, following her executive order focused on strengthening K-12 schools, helping students succeed, and hearing directly from parents, educators, students, and school leaders. 

Click here to watch Governor Spanberger speak on the education bills signed into law. 

Governor Spanberger signed the following bills into law to strengthen schools and support students:

• HB332 (Delegate Sam Rasoul), SB203 (Senator David Suetterlein). Making it easier to get career and technical education teachers into the classroom. Passed unanimously. 

• SB592 (Senator Lamont Bagby). Aligning career and technical education course offerings with emerging industry and workforce needs. Passed unanimously. 

• HB544 (Delegate Alex Askew), SB498 (Senator Lashrecse Aird). Supporting new investment in K-12 schools by making the Commission on School Construction and Modernization permanent and requiring a 10-year capital roadmap. Passed unanimously.

• HB211 (Delegate Debra Gardner). Studying barriers to Head Start and Early Head Start participation in Virginia. Passed with bipartisan support. 

• HB1221 (Delegate Briana Sewell), SB167 (Senator Schuyler VanValkenburg). Cutting red tape by streamlining Virginia’s higher education financial aid programs to reduce confusion and help Virginia students apply for awards. Passed unanimously.  

• HB924 (Delegate Sam Rasoul). Directing the Board of Education and Superintendent of Public Instruction to support the improvement of low-performing schools. Passed with bipartisan support. 

• HB299 (Delegate Dan Helmer), SB200 (Senator Schuyler VanValkenburg). Strengthening the administration of Standards of Learning assessments. Passed with bipartisan support. 

• SB817 (Senator David Suetterlein). Empowering parents by requiring schools to notify parents of student course enrollment deadlines and the process for requesting changes to course selection. Passed unanimously. 

• HB1243 (Delegate Israel O’Quinn). Ensuring state accountability ratings accurately reflect student achievement growth. Passed unanimously. 

• HB647 (Delegate Hillary Kent). Helping more career and technical education instructors get licensed. Passed unanimously. 

• HB206 (Delegate Karen Keys-Gamarra). Giving parents additional information about administration of college partnership laboratory schools. Passed with bipartisan support. 

• SB108 (Senator Stella Pekarsky). Making clear the prohibition on student cellphone and smart device use on school property from bell to bell, helping public school students learn in a distraction-free environment during class time and focus on social interaction during lunch. Passed with bipartisan support. 

• HB1486 (Delegate Sam Rasoul), SB568 (Senator Glen Sturtevant). Instructing students on the addictive potential of electronic devices. Passed with bipartisan support. 

• SB245 (Senator Christopher Head). Prohibiting schools from using social media as the sole method of communicating with students about school-related extracurricular activities. Passed unanimously. 

Governor Spanberger signed the following bills into law to help keep students safe and healthy at school and in their communities:

• HB1086 (Delegate Amy Laufer). Encouraging K-12 schools to purchase fresh school meal ingredients from Virginia farmers and producers. Passed unanimously. 

• HB832 (Delegate Kimberly Pope Adams). Assisting Governor’s Schools in increasing meal offerings available to all students. Passed with bipartisan support. 

• HB705 (Delegate Cliff Hayes), SB151 (Senator Christie New Craig). Developing a statewide program of instruction on water safety for elementary school students. Passed with bipartisan support. 

• HB957 (Delegate Elizabeth Guzman). Ensuring school divisions have information about the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in K-12 schools. Passed unanimously. 

• HB971 (Delegate Cia Price). Protecting student-athlete’s biometric data. Passed with bipartisan support. 

• SB529 (Senator Danny Diggs). Focusing the training of school security officers on emergency procedures and responding to behavioral threats in schools. Passed unanimously. 

• HB1301 (Delegate Josh Thomas), SB122 (Senator Jeremy McPike). Supporting students with diabetes. Passed unanimously.

Sofhia Pineda

Government Relations Specialist

Virginia School Boards Association

200 Hansen Road, Suite 2

Charlottesville, VA 22911

800-466-8722 or 434-295-8722 Office

sofhia@vsba.org, www.vsba.org

Governor Spanberger begins signing 2026 bills into law

The 2026 Virginia General Assembly officially adjourned on March 14, 2026. Governor Spanberger has until April 13, 2026, to take action on legislation by signing, vetoing, or recommending amendments to bills passed by the General Assembly.

Below are several education-related bills that have been signed thus far. 

HB38

(CHAP0047)

Public schools; mental health awareness training and instruction, requirements.

• Mandate- Mental health awareness training to include youth populations that are at high risk of experiencing mental health challenges, youth experiencing homelessness, suicide, foster care, identify as LGBTQ+.

HB171

(CHAP0048)

Student instruction; internet safety, policy to include key modern digital safety topics.

• Mandate- school board to review the acceptable use policy for internet and internet safety in a division's instructional program that includes instruction on modern digital safety topics, including online scams, misinformation, and AI generated content. 

HB195

(CHAP0049)

Programs for at-risk students; permissible uses of funding.

• Creates the At-Risk Program grants (gets rid of block grant program) and extends the use of funds to initiatives to support a student's physical and mental health, hiring licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, and advanced practice registered nurses. 

SB33

(CHAP0050)

Programs for at-risk students; permissible uses of funding.

• Creates the At-Risk Program grants (gets rid of block grant program) and extends the use of funds to initiatives to support a student's physical and mental health, hiring licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, and advanced practice registered nurses. 

HB210

(CHAP0054)

School meal debt; each school board to annually report.

• Mandate- each school board to annually report to the VDOE the amount of school meal debt in the local school division. No personally identifiable student information should be contained in the report. 

HB592

(CHAP0045)

Public schools; wearable panic alarm systems.

• Permissive- school boards may provide their employees in a public elementary and secondary school with a wearable panic alarm system. 

HB1071

(CHAP0046)

Public elementary and secondary schools & higher educational institutions; threat assessment teams.

• Mandate- to include in existing annual training a specific education and training on the use of emergency substantial risk orders and substantial risk orders to address the risk of harm to self or others posed by a student's access to a firearm (developed in consultation between the VDOE and the Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety).  

Sofhia Pineda

Government Relations Specialist

Virginia School Boards Association

200 Hansen Road, Suite 2

Charlottesville, VA 22911

800-466-8722 or 434-295-8722 Office

sofhia@vsba.org, www.vsba.org