SB1354: Virtual school programs; regulations requirement by Board of Education.

SENATE BILL NO. 1354

Offered January 18, 2013
A BILL to require the Board of Education to promulgate regulations related to virtual schools.
Patron-- Ebbin

Referred to Committee on Education and Health

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. § 1. That the Board of Education shall promulgate regulations requiring (i) the application form for full-time virtual school programs include an opportunity for the parents of nonresident students to provide the reason or reasons for wanting to enroll in the full-time virtual program and (ii) reporting to the Department of Education the number of and resident school divisions of nonresident students who are enrolled in full-time virtual school programs and any responses given on an application regarding the reasoning behind enrollment. The opportunity required in subdivision (i) shall include a list of reasons for the parent to choose from, which may include health-related, bullying, military family, academically at risk, academically accelerated, disciplinary problems such as suspension or expulsion, special education needs, special schedule for sports training, or desire to school at home.

§ 2. That the Department of Education shall share (i) the number of students who reside within the boundaries of a school division and who attend a full-time virtual school as a nonresident student with the school division of the locality where the student resides and (ii) non-identifiable aggregate information with all local school divisions.