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School staff tell board to align policy with new cyberbullying code and to allow online FOIA training
Summary
Dr. Jamie Soltis told the board that the division updated its bullying/harassment policy to align with a newly cited Virginia code addressing cyberbullying, reinstated a paragraph inadvertently deleted from a VSBA update, named Miss Newcomb as the FOIA officer and said FOIA training may be completed through approved online courses.
Dr. Jamie Soltis briefed the board on policy changes and administrative regulations. Soltis said the state has defined cyberbullying in statute and that the division updated Policy 3.16 to match the state's new language (the transcript references the code as "22.1 dash 2 7 6.01"). He said the update also includes protections for people who report cyberbullying or are victims of it and noted that the Virginia Department of Education is creating materials districts can distribute to parents and students.
Soltis also said the division restored a paragraph to its public‑records (FOIA) admin regulation that VSBA had inadvertently deleted, and that Miss Newcomb is the division's FOIA officer. He said officials can now complete FOIA training through an online course approved by the Virginia Freedom of Information Act counsel and that if the division's attorney serves as the FOIA officer the attorney would also require FOIA training.
Finally, Soltis described an administrative regulation change to permit certain community partners to observe classroom environments with parent permission so that partners can assess whether students qualify for particular programs; he said the change was made to accommodate community‑partner placement processes.
