Senate approves bill to let virtual-school students take state assessments remotely

The Missouri Senate on April 9 passed Senate Substitute for Senate Bill 266, a measure to allow students enrolled in virtual schools to complete state assessments without traveling to in-person testing sites.

Supporters said the change will reduce travel time for families and align testing practice with increased use of virtual education. "This is the virtual education assessment bill," the Senator from Callaway, a state senator, told colleagues while explaining the measure on the Senate floor.

Under the bill, students who attend virtual schools would no longer be required to drive long distances to participate in in-person assessments; instead, the bill permits approved remote administration. Senator from Callaway described the substitute as "rather simple" and said it "stayed pretty clean." The floor record includes no additional statutory citations or funding details tied explicitly to the measure.

The chamber approved the bill by voice and roll-call procedures; the journal entry records the result as 30 ayes and 1 no. The action was announced on the Senate floor and the bill was declared passed.

The transcript does not record the identity of the lone no vote nor a next-step message from the governor or conferee on the floor. No implementing guidance or agency rulemaking schedule was stated during the recorded floor discussion.