Virginia Virtual School Board; established, report. (SB1240)

This is a transcript of the video clips in which this bill is discussed.

Sen. Bill Stanley (R-Moneta): SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS, MR. PRESIDENT. THAT IS AN INCREASE FROM PREVIOUS YEARS, OVER 3,000 LONG-TERM SUSPENSIONS GIVEN DURING THAT YEAR AND OF THOSE LERP SUSPENSIONS, OVER 200 WERE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS. WHAT WE KNOW IS WHEN A STUDENT IS SUSPENDED FOR LONG TERM, MISS AND YEAR OF SCHOOL, IS NOT EXPELLED, THEY END UP WITH ACADEMIC FAILURE. GRADE RETENTION. THAT IS, THEY DON'T MOVE ON TO THE NEXT GRADE AND THEY END UP DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL. THERE MAY BE UNDIAGNOSED MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES WHICH ARE NOT ADDRESSED BY JUST SENDING THEM HOME WITHOUT TRYING TO ADDRESS THE UNDERLYING PROBLEMS WHICH MAY HAVE CREATED THE DISRUPTION. SUBSTANCE ABUSE, THOSE STUDENTS THAT ARE GIVEN LONG-TERM SUSPENSIONS ARE MORE LIKELY TO INVOLVE THEMSELVES IN SUBSTANCE ABUSE LATER IN LIFE AND HAVE INVOLVEMENT WITH THE JUSTICE SYSTEM, MR. PRESIDENT. I KNOW THAT FOR A FACT, MR. PRESIDENT, AS A TRIAL I ALWAYS TRY TO FIND OUT THE ATTORNEY. SOURCE OF MY CLIENT'S PROBLEMS. AND THOSE THAT COME BEFORE THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM OVER AND OVER HAVE TOLD ME AT LEAST IN PART OF THEIR HISTORY, THEY HAD A LONG-TERM SUSPENSION. THOSE SCHOOLS WITH THE HIGHEST SUSPENSION RATES GENERALLY REPORT THE LOWEST TEST SCORES AND THE LOWEST GRADUATION RATES. WHAT THIS BILL DOES BASICALLY IS DO TWO THINGS. IT ADDRESS S A PROBLEM AND A NEED. IT ALLOWS THE LONG-TERM SUSPENSION TO BE REDUCED TO 60 DAYS, BUT WITHIN THAT, THE LONG-TERM SUSPENSION PART OF 60 DAYS, 45 OF THE DAYS, THE SCHOOL WILL COME AND REVIEW TO SEE IF THE CHILD HA HAS BEEN SUSPENDED CAN BE REINTEGRATED INTO THEIR IN ADDITION TO THAT, PARENTS FAMILIAR. WILL BE GIVEN NOTICE OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF WHY THEIR CHILD WAS SUSPENDED AND THAT IS CRITICAL AND IMPORTANT. WE HAVE WORKED WITH THE STAKEHOLDERS. I CAN'T SAY THAT WE'VE GOT 100% AGREEMENT, BUT WE'VE ALSO ALLOWED THIS TO CARRY OVER INTO THE NEXT GRADING PERIOD AND OVER THE SUMMER, WHICH THE BILL IN ITS ORIGINAL FORM DID NOT. THIS IS THE BEST WAY WE CAN ADDRESS THESE PROBLEMS. AT THE SAME TIME THAT WE KEEP OUR STUDENTS SAFE, WE NEED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE'RE JUST THROWING THEM AWAY, AND THAT THESE CHILDREN DESERVE THE EDUCATION THAT WE PROMISED THEM. MR. PRESIDENT, LOOKING AT A REPORT -- THIS IS WHAT GOT ME STARTED ON THIS -- FROM JUST CHILDREN PROGRAM, THE LEGAL AID JUSTICE CENTERED PUBLISHED IN MAY OF 2016, VIRGINIA SCHOOLS OUT OF SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS, OVER ONE-FIT OF FIFTH IN ST. NICHOLAS TOOS KINDERGARTEN THROUGH THE FIFTH GRADE. AFRICAN AMERICAN WERE 23% BUT WERE SUBJECT TO 58% OF SHORT-TERM SUSPENSIONS, 60% OF LONG-TERM SUSPENSIONS, AND 55% OF THE EXPULSIONS, MR. PRESIDENT. THEY WERE 3.6 TIMES MORE LIKELY THAN WHITE STUDENTS TO BE SUSPENDED. AND MORE -- AND JUST AS IMPORTANT, MR. PRESIDENT, STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES WERE 12.3% OF THE VIRGINIA STUDENT

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[Unknown]: TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHEN WE'VE HAD SUCH STRONG BIPARTISAN SUPPORT. I THOUGHT THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ALWAYS STRUGGLED FOR HERE. SO I'M HAVING TROUBLE UNDERSTANDING WHY THESE BILLS HAVE BECOME SO UNPOPULAR AMONG SOME FOLKS. FOR THE LIFE OF ME, I COULDN'T GET MY HEAD AROUND OUR SIDE OF THE AISLE LEANING ON THE EDUCATION ASSOCIATIONS TO SUPPORT OUR ARGUMENT WHEN WE DISAGREE WITH THEM MOST OF THE

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