Local school divisions; availability of virtual and in-person learning to all students. (SB1303)

Introduced By

Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant (R-Henrico) with support from 9 copatrons, whose average partisan position is:

Those copatrons are Del. Jason Miyares (R-Virginia Beach), Sen. Bill DeSteph (R-Virginia Beach), Sen. Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach), Sen. Joe Morrissey (D-Richmond), Sen. Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax), Sen. Todd E. Pillion (R-Abingdon), Sen. Bryce Reeves (R-Spotsylvania), Sen. Frank Ruff (R-Clarksville), Sen. Bill Stanley (R-Moneta)

Description

School boards; in-person instruction. Requires each school board to offer in-person instruction to each student enrolled in the local school division in a public elementary and secondary school for at least the minimum number of required instructional hours and to each student enrolled in the local school division in a public school-based early childhood care and education program for the entirety of the instructional time provided pursuant to such program. The bill contains certain exceptions to the abovementioned requirement. The bill requires each school board to provide such in-person instruction in a manner in which it adheres, to the maximum extent practicable, to any currently applicable mitigation strategies for early childhood care and education programs and elementary and secondary schools to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 that have been provided by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bill requires the Department of Education to establish benchmarks for successful virtual learning and guidelines for providing interventions to students who fail to meet such benchmarks and for transitioning such students back to in-person instruction. The bill also requires all teachers and school staff to be offered access to receive an approved COVID-19 vaccination through their relevant local health district. The bill has an expiration date of August 1, 2022. Read the Bill »

Status

03/30/2021: signed by governor

History