The Senate Education and Health Committee held its first meeting of this session this morning. The Committee acted on the following bills of interest:
SB 4 (Stanley) would create a Public School Assistance Fund to provide grants for repairing and replacing roofs of school buildings. VDOE would administer the grants and would give priority based on the need for the repair/replacement and the ability to pay for the repair/replacement. The bill was reported and referred to the Committee on Finance and Appropriations on a 15-0 vote.
SB5 (Stanley) would require the BOE to adopt regulations prescribing minimum standards for school construction and modernization. The standards would have to promote the delivery of instruction in compliance with the SOLs and the health and safety of students. The bill was reported and referred to the Committee on Finance and Appropriations on a 14-0-1 vote.
SB 44 (Spruill) permits any student to possess and use topical sunscreen at school, on a school bus, or at a school sponsored event. The bill was reported 14-0.
SB 112 (Suetterlein) would require BOE to require options for dual enrollment or work-based learning in the graduation requirements. The bill was reported 15-0.
SB 134 (Stuart) would require school boards to provide elementary school teachers with at least 45 minutes of planning time per day, on average. The current requirement is 30 minutes per day, on average. The bill was reported and referred to the Committee on Finance and Appropriations on a 9-6 vote.
SB 142 (Dunnavant) would require that Virtual Virginia be made available to all middle and elementary schools, in addition to high schools. The bill was reported and referred to the Committee on Finance and Appropriations on a 15-0 vote.
SB 186 (Dunnavant) would require VDOE to establish guidelines for IEP teams to ensure that IEP teams consider the need for age-appropriate instruction related to sexual health, self-restraint, self-protection, respect for personal privacy, and personal boundaries of others. The bill also requires each local school board ensure that IEP teams consider the factors set forth in the guidelines. The bill was reported 15-0.
SB 238 (Barker) would require full time kindergarten beginning July 1, 2022. The bill was reported 12-2-1.
SB 275 (Barker) would provide for the immediate enrollment of any student who was in foster care upon reaching 18 years of age but who has not yet reached 22 years of age for whom the local department of social services or child-placing agency is unable to produce documents normally required for enrollment. Under current law, an exception to the requirement for such documentation is provided only to students currently in foster care. The bill was reported 15-0.
