HB1727: School boards; policies concerning noncurriculum-related student organizations.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That § 22.1-79.3 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 22.1-79.3. Policies regarding certain activities.
A. No later than January 1, 2001, local school boards shall develop and implement policies to ensure that public school students are not required to convey or deliver any materials that (i) advocate the election or defeat of any candidate for elective office, (ii) advocate the passage or defeat of any referendum question, or (iii) advocate the passage or defeat of any matter pending before a local school board, local governing body or the General Assembly of Virginia or the Congress of the United States.
This section shall not be construed to prohibit the discussion or use of political or issue-oriented materials as part of classroom discussions or projects or to prohibit the delivery of informational materials.
B. Local school boards shall develop and implement policies to prohibit the administration of questionnaires or surveys to public school students during the regular school day or at school-sponsored events without written, informed parental consent for the student's participation when participation in such questionnaire or survey may subsequently result in the sale for commercial purposes of personal information regarding the individual student. In any case in which a questionnaire or survey requesting sexual information of students is to be administered, the school board shall notify the parent concerning the administration of such questionnaire or survey in writing not less than 30 days prior to its administration. The notice shall inform the parent regarding the nature and types of questions included in the questionnaire or survey, the purposes and age-appropriateness of the survey, and whether and how any findings or results will be disclosed. Parents shall have the right to review the questionnaire or survey and to exempt their child from participating in the survey. However, no questionnaire or survey requesting sexual information of a student shall be administered to any student in kindergarten through grade six and, unless required by federal or state law or regulation, school personnel administering any such questionnaire or survey shall not disclose personally identifiable information.
C. Local school boards shall develop and implement policies to advise the parent of each student enrolled in the school division of the availability of information in the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry and the location of the Internet website. Local school boards shall also develop protocols governing the release of children to persons who are not their parent.
D. No local school board providing access and opportunity to use school facilities or to distribute literature may deny equal access or fair opportunity to use such school facilities or to distribute literature, or otherwise discriminate against the Boy Scouts of America or the Girl Scouts of the USA.
Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to require any school or school division to sponsor the Boy Scouts of America or the Girl Scouts of the USA, or to exempt any such groups from school board policies governing access to and use of school facilities and distribution of literature.
E. Local school boards shall require the prior express written permission of a parent or legal guardian to be filed with the school before any student may be a member of or attend the meeting of a non-curriculum-related student organization. The written permission shall clearly evidence that the parent or legal guardian has given informed consent as to the particular student organization.