The House Education Subcommittee on K-12 met for its first meeting of the 2026 session of the Virginia General Assembly on Tuesday, January 20, 2026. This week's docket includes 10 pieces of proposed legislation impacting K-12 education, with 2 bills being passed by for the day.
To view this week's House Education Subcommittee on K-12 click here.
Below you will find a few of the bills heard in this week's subcommittee hearing.
HB36 (Delegate Cole) - Standards of Quality; class size limits, exception for certain ensemble music classes.
This bills exempts any ensemble music class offered in grade six from the provision limiting the size of any class offered in grades four through six to no larger than 35 students and, instead, permits any such ensemble music class to have up to 45 students
Passed by for the day per patrons request.
HB38 (Delegate Henson) - Public schools; mental health awareness training and instruction, requirements.
Requires each teacher and other relevant personnel, to to complete mental health awareness training that addresses the needs of youth populations that are at a high risk of experiencing mental health challenges, including those bereaved by suicide, those with disabilities or chronic health conditions, youth experiencing homelessness, those in foster care, and LGBTQ+ youth.
Current law requires such teachers and personnel to complete mental health awareness training but does not contain any requirements relating to the specific topics such training must address. The bill language states that divisions who are already implementing similar trainings to address similar concerns, there is no additional trainings required.
Passed subcommittee on a vote of 7-1.
HB96 (Delegate Bennett-Parker) - School breakfast; availability at no cost to students.
Requires each school board to require each public elementary and secondary school in the local school division to make breakfast available to any student who requests such a meal at no cost to the student.
The bill requires the Department of Education to reimburse each public elementary and secondary school for each eligible school breakfast served to a student.
Passed subcommittee on a vote of 10-0.
HB116 (Delegate Ward) - School board employee grievance procedure; timing of dispute resolution.
Requires the school board employee grievance procedure to afford a timely and fair method of the resolution of disputes arising between the school board and such employees before dismissal or other disciplinary actions, excluding suspensions. This provides an employee with an opportunity to hold a hearing before disciplinary action occurs.
Passed subcommittee on a vote of 10-0.
HB171 (Delegate Askew) - Student instruction; internet safety, policy to include key modern digital safety topics.
Requires the internet safety component that is integrated into each school division's instructional program as required by its acceptable internet use policy to include instruction on key modern digital safety topics, including online scams, misinformation, and content generated by artificial intelligence.
Passed subcommittee on a vote of 9-1.
HB178 (Delegate Anthony) - Public schools; student support services, student personal information and data security, report.
The bill requires any nonprofit organization, in order to register and maintain status as a certified student support agency, to meet several requirements relating to the protection of student personal information, including requirements relating to policies, procedures, and protocols for the collection, use, maintenance, disclosure, disposal, and handling any data breach or unauthorized disclosure of any student personal information collected.
Passed by for the day per patrons request.
HB199 (Delegate Rasoul) - Through-year growth assessment system; alternatives during 2024-2028 school years permitted.
Extends from the 2025-2026 school year to the 2027-2028 school year the period during which, pursuant to applicable law, the Board of Education is required to permit school boards to administer assessments as alternatives to the through-year growth assessment system established by the Board of Education.
Passed subcommittee on a vote of 10-0.
HB206 (Delegate Keys-Gamarra) - College partnership laboratory schools; transparency.
Requires, for college partnership laboratory schools that form a collaborative partnership with one or more local school divisions, the parents of any enrolled student to be notified of such collaborative partnership and provided with contact information for an administrator in such partnering division that the parent can contact with questions or concerns about program administration or the student's experience at the college partnership laboratory school.
Passed subcommittee on a vote of 8-2.
HB210 (Delegate Price) School meal debt; each school board to annually report.
Requires each school board to annually report to the Department of Education the amount of school meal debt in the local school division.
Passed subcommittee on a vote of 10-0.
HB288 (Delegate Anderson) - Education, Department of; website posting of certain instructional resources.
Requires the Department of Education to post in a conspicuous and publicly accessible manner on the instructional resources section of its website links to instructional resources on the Indigenous people of the Commonwealth.
Passed subcommittee on a vote of 10-0.
The House Education Subcommittee on K-12 meets weekly during the session on Tuesdays, at 7:30 a.m., on House Room A, and Tuesdays, at 4:00 p.m., House Room C, General Assembly Building. A link to the Live Stream video and recordings of all previously held committee meetings and floor sessions of the House can be viewed by clicking here.
Sofhia Pineda
VSBA Government Relations Specialist
