Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Legislation 2026 topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Henrico staff outline 2026 Virginia education laws changing assessments, safety and CTE staffing
Summary
Henrico County School Board staff summarized bills passed by the 2026 Virginia General Assembly that will change state assessments (including a 100‑point scale and SOLs counting for 10% of grades), expand mental‑health and safety requirements, ease CTE licensure and salary credit, and require family notifications; staff will track VDOE guidance and the final state budget before implementation.
Ken Blackstone, Henrico County Public Schools' government relations manager, told the school board that more than 200 bills tied to the division’s legislative priorities were tracked during the 2026 Virginia General Assembly and that just over 100 reached the governor’s desk. He summarized a set of enacted laws that school staff say will affect classroom assessments, student supports, facilities planning and staffing.
"The legislation provides additional flexibility for alternative assessments," Blackstone said, and he listed several concrete changes to the state assessment system: adopting a 100‑point scale, instituting a two‑week testing window at the end of the school year for affected tests, assigning statewide SOL tests to count for 10% of a student’s final grade, eliminating three‑year growth assessments, and allowing an expedited retake score to replace a prior score.
Why it matters: Board members immediately flagged implementation questions. "I do have a level of concern about the SOL counting, 10% of the final grade," said Mr. Young, who asked for more detail about the impacts on students who struggle with SOLs. School staff said some provisions are targeted at secondary courses and that the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and the Board of Education will provide guidance on timelines and implementation.
Blackstone also described curriculum and testing shifts: a pair of bills will allow students to substitute African American history or AP African American studies to satisfy certain world‑history or world‑geography credits, and a bill will allow administration of the SAT and PSAT during the school day through the SAT School Day program.
On safety and facilities, Blackstone said several bills strengthen threat assessment and school security officer training, expand coordination with treatment facilities for readmitting high‑risk students, and make the Commission on School Construction and Modernization permanent; he said VDOE will update the commonwealth’s 10‑year capital improvement roadmap for public school facilities by September.
Mental‑health provisions include bills to bolster staff training and a directed study by the school health services committee and VDOE on best practices for annual mental‑health screening in grades 6–12. At‑risk initiative funding was broadened to cover programs that support both physical and mental health in schools, including funds that can be used to hire licensed nurses.
On workforce, the General Assembly passed measures intended to ease recruitment and retention in career and technical education (CTE): those with relevant real‑world experience may receive salary credit for prior years of work, college instructors who teach high‑school CTE or dual‑enrollment courses can receive three‑year teaching licenses while employed by the college, and interstate compacts will make licensing more portable for teachers and psychologists coming from other states. VDOE work groups will review alternative licensure pathways and CTE offerings.
Blackstone flagged several board‑level policy items as well: bills addressing student diabetes care (noted in the meeting as taking effect in the 2028–29 school year), a tightened prohibition on cellphone and smart‑device use from "bell to bell," annual parent notifications about secure storage of prescription drugs and firearms in the household, and earlier notification to middle‑ and high‑school parents about course enrollment deadlines and the process to request changes.
Board members praised the division’s new weekly legislative update page while pressing for specifics. Ms. Atkins thanked staff for the web updates and called the scorecard a step forward for public transparency. Ms. Shea asked how the division will communicate changes to families (for example, how middle‑school students who opt out of an SOL will be affected) and how county benchmarks might be used once three‑year growth assessments are removed. Blackstone and other staff said they will continue to post updates and coordinate with VDOE and division counsel to identify required policy or operational changes.
On funding, staff said the state budget had not been finalized and the division was awaiting its allotment of state aid; presenters said they were still interpreting details about whether CTE salary credits would be state‑funded or locally funded and would report back as guidance and budget numbers become available.
The board requested follow‑up as VDOE issues implementation guidance and as the state budget is finalized. Blackstone closed the presentation and offered to answer additional questions as staff continues its review.
