The House Education Committee met Monday to consider the following pieces of legislation on its docket.
SB 1106 (Stanley) Creates the Public School Assistance Fund and Program, to be administered by the Department of Education, for the purpose of providing grants to school boards to be used for the purposes of repairing or replacing the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, electrical, or plumbing systems or the roofs of public elementary and secondary school buildings in the local school division, including financing costs for such repairs and replacements. The bill permits any school board in the Commonwealth to apply for Program grants but requires the Department of Education to give priority in the award of grants to school boards that demonstrate the greatest need based on the condition of existing school building roofs and the ability to pay for the repair or replacement of such roofs. The bill was reported and referred to the House Appropriations Committee by a vote of 21-1.
SB 1169 (Norment) Requires each public high school to require any student who applies to obtain a pass to park a vehicle on school property to provide evidence that the student possesses a valid driver's license or driver privilege card. The bill was conformed to HB 1918. The bill was reported with a substitute on a 22-0 vote.
SB 1225 (Boysko) Authorizes school boards to appropriate funds for the purposes of promoting, facilitating, and encouraging the expansion and operation of broadband services for educational purposes. The bill authorizes school boards to partner with private broadband service providers to promote, implement, and subsidize broadband for educational purposes to the households of students who would qualify for (i) a child nutrition program or (ii) any other program recognized or adopted by the local school board as a measuring standard to identify at-risk students. The bill reported by a vote of 21-1.
SB 1322 (DeSteph) Provides for the submission and utilization of seizure management and action plans for students with a diagnosed seizure disorder. The bill requires that school nurses and certain school division employees biennially complete Board of Education-approved training in the treatment of students with seizure disorders. The bill provides immunity from civil liability for acts or omissions related to providing for the care of a student under a seizure management and action plan. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2022. The bill reported with amendment on a vote of 20-2.
SB 1439 (McClellan) Requires, subject to guidelines established by the Department of Education, each local school board to permit at least one school day-long excused absence per school year for any middle school or high school student in the local school division who is absent from school to engage in a civic event. The bill allows local school boards to require that a student provide advance notice of the intended absence and documentation of participation in a civic event to be granted an excused absence. The bill reported with amendments on a 16-6 vote.
