SB80
(Marsden) would have declared that, except in certain limited
circumstances, a student journalist at a public high 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 or governing
board, supported through the use of school or campus facilities, or produced in
conjunction with a class or course 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 middle school or high 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 was passed by for
the year on a vote of 13-1.
SB98
(Locke) would remove (i) the option for local school boards to extend
the three-year probationary term of service for teachers by up to two
additional years and (ii) the prohibition against school boards reemploying any
teacher whose performance evaluation during the probationary term of service is
unsatisfactory. The bill was reported 9-6.
SB135
(Stuart) would expand eligibility for services under the Children's
Services Act to students who transfer from an approved private school special
education program to a public school special education program established and
funded jointly by a local governing body and school division located within
Planning District 16 for the purpose of providing special education and related
services when (i) the public school special education program is able to provide
services comparable to those of an approved private school special education
program and (ii) the student would require placement in an approved private
school special education program but for the availability of the public school
special education program. The bill was reported and rereferred to Senate
Finance and Appropriations 15-0.
SB167
(Favola) would remove receipt of one or more unsatisfactory
performance evaluations from the list of factors that "incompetency"
may be construed to include for the purpose of establishing grounds for the
dismissal of public school teachers. The bill was amended to delete the
definition of "incompetency" in its entirety. The bill was
reported 9-6.
SB221 (Locke) would
shorten from every five years to every two years the frequency of the review
period for memorandums of understanding between school boards and local
law-enforcement agencies. The bill also requires local school boards to
conspicuously publish the current division memorandum of understanding on its
division website and provide notice and opportunity for public input during
each memorandum of understanding review period. The bill was reported
14-0.
SB299
(Stanley) would have required each local school board to install at
least one purified water bottle filling station in every public school in the
local school division. The bill requires that each purified water bottle
filling station (i) dispense filtered, clean drinking water; (ii) be regularly
cleaned and maintained; and (iii) be accompanied by a cup dispenser if there is
no drinking fountain on the same floor and wing as the water bottle filling
station. The bill was stricken at the request of the patron.
SB324 (Deeds) would
require the Superintendent of Public Instruction, with the assistance of each
school board or division superintendent, to survey each local school division
to identify critical shortages of school bus drivers by geographic area and
local school division and to report any such critical shortage to each local
school division and to the Virginia Retirement System. The bill was reported
15-0.
SB377 (Bell) would
permit a school board to conduct a teacher grievance hearing before a
three-member fact-finding panel consisting of one member selected by the
teacher, one member selected by the division superintendent, and an impartial
hearing officer selected by the other two panel members, to serve as the chairman
of the panel. Under current law, the school board has the option of appointing
a hearing officer or conducting such hearing itself. The bill also removes the
requirement that a teacher grievance hearing be set within 15 days of the
request for such hearing and extends from five days to 10 days the minimum
period of advanced written notice to the teacher of the time and place of such
hearing. The bill was reported 9-6.
SB853
(Boysko) would require the Department of Education to develop a model
curriculum and teacher training module for providing age-appropriate
instruction on genocide, racism, harassment, discrimination, and historical
injustice in grades kindergarten through 12. Each local school board is
required to implement the model curriculum and teacher training module by the
2022-2023 school year. The bill was amended to create a Culturally
Relevant and Inclusive Education Practices Advisory Committee to recommend
standards to the Board of Education. The bill was reported and rereferred
to Finance and Appropriations 12-2-1.
