HB1128: Cooperative career & technical education; school boards to provide to middle & high school students.

HOUSE BILL NO. 1128

Offered January 13, 2014
A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-227.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to cooperative career and technical education.
Patrons-- Rasoul; Senator: Hanger

Referred to Committee on Education

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 22.1-227.1 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 22.1-227.1. Career and technical education.

A. The Board of Education shall incorporate into career and technical education the Standards of Learning for mathematics, science, English, and social studies, including history, and other subject areas as may be appropriate. The Board may also authorize, in its regulations for accrediting public schools in Virginia, the substitution of industry certification and state licensure examinations for Standards of Learning assessments for the purpose of awarding verified units of credit for career and technical education courses, where appropriate.

B. The Board shall also develop a plan for increasing the number of students receiving industry certification and state licensure as part of their career and technical education. The plan shall include an annual goal for school divisions. Where there is an accepted national industry certification for career and technical education instructional personnel and programs for automotive technology, such certification shall be mandatory.

C. With such funds as may be appropriated for such purpose, there shall be established, within the Department of Education, a unit of specialists in career and technical education. The unit shall (i) assist in developing and revising local career and technical curriculum to integrate the Standards of Learning, (ii) provide professional development for career and technical instructional personnel to improve the quality of career and technical education, (iii) conduct site visits to the schools providing career and technical education, and (iv) seek the input of business and industry representatives regarding the content and direction of career and technical education programs in the public schools of the Commonwealth.

D. The Board shall develop guidelines for the establishment of High School to Work Partnerships, hereafter referred to as "Partnerships," between public high schools and local businesses to create opportunities for students who may not seek further education after high school to (i) participate in an apprenticeship, internship, or job shadow program in a variety of trades and skilled labor positions or (ii) tour local businesses and meet with owners and employees. These guidelines shall include a model waiver form to be used by high schools and local businesses in connection with Partnership programs to protect both the students and the businesses from liability.

Each local school board may encourage the local school division's career and technical education administrator or his designee to collaborate with the guidance counselor office of each public high school in the Commonwealth to establish Partnerships and to educate the student body about available opportunities.

Students who miss a partial or full day of school while participating in Partnership programs shall not be counted as absent for the purposes of calculating average daily membership, but each local school board shall develop policies and procedures for students to make up missed work and may determine the maximum number of school days per academic year that a student may spend participating in a Partnership program.

E. In order to meet the needs of the Commonwealth's local business communities and foster the growth of a twenty-first-century job market, economy, and workforce, two or more school boards may, by agreement, provide cooperative career and technical education whereby middle and high school students enrolled in any such school division may attend, part-time, career and technical education courses and programs in any such school division outside of the student's school division of residence. Agreements among school divisions made pursuant to this section shall be in writing and shall include provisions for a student application process, the transportation of participating students, special education, enrollment capacity, and the award of high school credit, as applicable. Local workforce investment boards shall provide technical assistance to the local school divisions, as necessary. Each participating student shall be counted in the average daily membership of his school division of residence, but nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit school divisions from charging tuition to participating students pursuant to § 22.1-5.