Virginia K-12 subcommittee advances bills on school safety, teacher training, special education and student supports

The House K‑12 Education Subcommittee on Feb. 26 advanced a slate of bills addressing hiring, training, school safety, student health and services, and special‑education accessibility. Lawmakers adopted substitutes or approved measures by voice or recorded votes on items including revisions to teacher hiring rules for people with certain felony convictions, a cap on noninstructional training hours for teachers, a statewide survey of school‑based mental‑health services, and a permissive policy to allow trained staff to give seizure rescue medication when a school nurse is not available.

Why it matters: Committee members and witnesses said the bills aim to ease staffing shortages, improve student safety and access to care, and reduce administrative burdens on educators while preserving protections for students. Several measures require funding or referral to Appropriations, and some were amended to clarify local flexibility or timelines.

Rehabilitated individuals and school hiring (HB 1924) Delegate Ward sponsored a substitute to HB 1924 to allow school divisions greater discretion to hire people with felony convictions that are unrelated to violence or offenses against children, provided their civil rights have been restored and the applicants demonstrate rehabilitation and good character. Supporters, including Melody Hackney, superintendent of Hopewell City Schools, and Deache Lewis, a certified peer recovery specialist who said he received a governor’s pardon, urged the committee to let school boards hire people who can mentor at‑risk students. Hackney told the committee, “It is just that simple,” arguing that mentors with lived experience can reach students affected by gangs and violence. The committee reported the bill as substituted, 8–0.

Cap on noninstructional teacher trainings (HB 1626) Delegate Thomas’ bill seeks to limit nonacademic training so teachers spend less time on mandatory trainings not directly tied to instruction. The substitute initially set a 20‑hour cap on such training per a five‑year rolling period; committee members amended that to 20 hours every two years. Supporters, including classroom teachers and the Virginia Education Association, said the limit could help teacher retention. The Virginia School Boards Association and some local superintendents cautioned the definition of “nonacademic” is ambiguous — many licensure‑related items (CPR, child abuse reporting, restraints) could fall into that category and consume much of the cap. The committee adopted the substitute and amendment and reported the bill, 9–0, and referred it to Appropriations.

Survey of school mental‑health services (HB 1947) Delegate Seibold’s bill, recommended by the Commission on Youth, directs the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to survey local school divisions about availability and access to school‑based mental and behavioral health services and to use the results to refine guidance for school professionals and strengthen partnerships with community providers. Witnesses from the Virginia Education Association, Voices for Virginia’s Children and several community providers supported the measure as a step to map existing services and gaps. The committee reported the bill, 8–0.

School safety audit meetings with law enforcement (HB 2051) Delegate Green’s bill would require the chief law‑enforcement officer (or designee) to meet on school grounds annually with each school’s Safety Audit Committee to identify potential on‑site safety risks; the substitute added an opt‑out by superintendent letter and the final amendment made the annual meeting permissive and allowed superintendent designees. Proponents — including the York‑Poquoson sheriff, who described a long‑running local practice — said in‑person inspections help identify unique campus risks. School system witnesses worried the requirement is overly prescriptive and logistically difficult in large divisions; the committee took the bill “by” for further consideration and later brought it back, adopted the friendly amendments, and reported it as amended, 8–0 (the committee earlier took the bill by without objection while awaiting follow‑up). The committee minutes record the motion to take the bill “by” and later to report it as amended.

Seizure rescue medication policy (HB 2104) Delegate Bennett Parker offered a permissive bill to let school boards adopt policies allowing trained staff to administer seizure rescue medication (including intranasal formulations) when a nurse is not available, and to permit self‑possession by appropriate middle and high school students. Sponsors and medical and disability advocates said timely administration is often essential — one witness reported needing a rescue dose within five minutes during a seizure — and that narrow, voluntary local policies and VDOE model guidance would improve student safety. The committee reported the substitute, 7–0.

Universal school breakfast (HB 1958) Delegate Bennett Parker said restoring universal school breakfast would reduce hunger, improve attendance and academic performance, and prevent families from incurring meal debt. Dozens of education, anti‑hunger and health organizations testified in favor. The committee reported the bill to Appropriations, 7–0.

Advertising on school buses for driver recruitment (HB 1993) A permissive bill would let local school divisions place hiring advertisements on their school buses to recruit drivers; proponents called it a reasonable, low‑cost tool to address driver shortages. The Virginia Education Association and the Superintendents Association supported the measure. The committee reported it, 7–0.

Workforce pathway for federal contracting jobs (HB 2590) Delegate Cole’s “STEP UP” proposal (substitute) would create a program to prepare high‑school students for U.S. government procurement jobs and, in some cases, to graduate with security clearances. The sponsor cited Virginia’s concentration of government contractors and said starting salaries can range roughly $60,000–$80,000. The committee reported the substitute to Appropriations (reported as 7–0 in committee minutes).

Address confidentiality protections for students (HB 2013) Delegate Laufer’s bill narrows a student‑residency provision so that an address used to establish residency for school purposes is not otherwise made part of educational records for participants in the Address Confidentiality Program. Domestic‑violence and service‑provider witnesses supported the change; the committee adopted a substitute and reported the bill, 7–0.

School counselors and telehealth (HB 2543) A substitute to allow qualified school counselors to provide telehealth counseling was supported by school counselors’ associations and disability advocates as a way to expand behavioral‑health access in schools. The committee reported the bill, 8–0.

National Board Certification incentives (HB 2381) Delegate Maldonado proposed increasing the annual National Board Certification incentive to $7,500 and an additional $2,500 for teachers in Title I schools and creating a related fund. Supporters and the Virginia Education Association argued it would lower financial barriers and help retain teachers. The committee reported the bill to Appropriations, 7–1.

Index of required trainings (HB 1936) A substitute requires VDOE to publish an index of required trainings for public‑school teachers (topics, length and frequency) to increase transparency about cumulative training burdens. School groups described the index as a necessary step before deciding which required items to limit. The committee reported the bill with substitute to Appropriations, 8–0.

School safety and security grant fund (HB 2364) Delegate Welt’s substitute would establish a School Safety and Security Grant Fund for training and equipment that emphasize safety and first‑aid/trauma care in addition to security hardware. Witnesses said prior one‑time funds proved popular; the sponsor said he sought $5 million in Appropriations. The committee reported the substitute to Appropriations, 8–0.

Culturally responsive, language‑appropriate mental‑health guidance (HB 2341) A bill from Delegate Hinn requested VDOE guidance for culturally responsive and language‑appropriate mental‑health supports for students; amendments moved deadlines and stressed local flexibility. Mental‑health and advocacy groups supported the bill. The committee reported the bill with amendments, 8–0.

Accessibility and supports for students with disabilities (HB 2278) Delegate Price offered a bill directing a study of school accessibility and programmatic supports for students with disabilities (the substitute removes a reference to the state’s federally funded Virginia Board for People with Disabilities and assigns reporting to the Disability Commission). Witnesses representing disability rights and school leaders supported the study; the committee reported the bill with amendments, 6–1.

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) training (HB 2219) Delegate Tran’s bill requires that teachers and direct support staff who work with students using AAC receive training on each student’s AAC system at the start of the school year or as soon as practicable after placement; the training is coordinated with families and documented in the student’s IEP to ensure classroom access. Families, disability and autism advocates, and special‑education administrators supported the measure as a practical step to prevent learning loss and isolation for nonspeaking students. The committee reported the bill with amendments, 8–0.

Early‑childhood special‑education licensure pathway (HB 2265) Delegate Tran also sponsored a narrowly tailored measure to allow experienced K–12 special‑education teachers who have worked 15 or more years as Virginia preschool special‑education teachers, with superintendent support, to receive an endorsement for early‑childhood special education without additional coursework. Supporters said the change keeps veteran teachers in the classroom; the committee reported the bill, 8–0.

Ending note Most bills were reported out of subcommittee unanimously or with strong majorities and several require appropriation language or further work in full committees. Measures that reference funding or implementation timelines were typically referred to Appropriations; others returned to full committee calendars for additional drafting. The subcommittee chair reminded members of an afternoon meeting and adjourned after the docket was complete.