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Commission reviews bill to require local government instruction in 12th-grade Virginia government course
Summary
Senator Jennifer Boisco, chair of the Commission on Civic Education, convened members for a review of House Bill 2052, which would add required instruction on local constitutional officers and local governing bodies to the Virginia and U.S. government Standards of Learning and to the twelfth-grade course.
Senator Jennifer Boisco, chair of the Commission on Civic Education, convened members for a review of House Bill 2052 on legislation referred to the commission during the 2025 regular session of the General Assembly. Ryan Brimmer of the Division of Legislative Services summarized the measure as one that would "require the Board of Education to include in the SOLs for Virginia and US Government an explanation of the purpose, role, responsibility, and identity of local constitutional officers and local governing bodies," and would also require local school boards to include those topics in the twelfth-grade Virginia and U.S. government course.
The commission discussed whether legislation is necessary because the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has recently published new instructional guides and linked primary and secondary sources intended to support teachers. Kristania (listed in meeting materials as Christania/Chris Tania) Brown of the Virginia Department of Education showed the commission the department's new instructional guides, crosswalk documents and a skills-and-practice section intended to give teachers concrete classroom activities and linked resources. Brown said the guides include an "understanding the standard" section where material about local government and constitutional officers already appears, and that the department can provide additional teacher-facing resources within those guides.
Ryan Brimmer told the commission the K–12 subcommittee had referred HB 2052 for further study after subcommittee members expressed concern that recently revised standards might already address the bill’s goals. Several commission members supported strengthening how local government is taught but differed on whether that should be added to statute or addressed through VDOE resources. Alice Riley of the commission said she was "in absolute total support" of the bill’s intent, arguing that state and local government provide many hands-on civic learning opportunities students rarely experience. Jim Dillard said re‑emphasizing the topic is something he supports.
Commissioners suggested two paths: work with Delegate Green (the bill’s patron) to fine-tune statutory language, or work through the VDOE’s instructional guides to develop resource-based supports that could be posted and distributed now. VDOE staff emphasized that local government content already appears in the Virginia government standards and that the department can add more detailed, classroom-ready resources without waiting for the next scheduled standards revision.
No formal action was taken by the commission on HB 2052 at the meeting.
