The House Education Committee met this morning and considered legislation that were recommended from the SOL/SOQ Subcommittee. This is the last meeting of the House Education Committee prior to the Friday, February 5, 2021 Crossover deadline. The committee took the following actions this morning.
HB 1827 (Austin) Requires the nine-member Board of Education to include at least five members, appointed by the Governor, who each reside in different superintendent's regions in the Commonwealth. The bill reported by a vote of 19-1.
HB 2314 (Mugler) Requires the Board of Education to amend a certain regulation relating to special education to remove the word "component" following the word "evaluation," thereby ensuring compliance with the relevant federal regulation and clarifying that the parent of a child with a disability has the right to an independent educational evaluation at public expense if the parent disagrees with an evaluation obtained by the local educational agency. The bill reported by a vote of 20-0.
HB 2316 (Mundon King) Requires the Department of Education to update its special education eligibility worksheets as necessary, including clarifying any ambiguity or vagueness in eligibility criteria, and provide to each local school division the appropriate level of guidance on eligibility determinations for special education and related services. The bill requires the Board of Education to amend its regulations to ensure that each education preparation program graduate in a K-12 general education endorsement area demonstrates proficiency in understanding the role of general education teachers on the individualized education program (IEP) team. The bill reported by a vote of 21-0.
