After-school volunteer counseling bill tabled after concerns about carveouts and oversight

Sen. Reeves described SB603 as a permissive bill allowing school boards to adopt policies permitting vetted volunteer providers to offer after-school life counseling and supportive services. The bill would require volunteer counselors to be vetted, fingerprinted, and to obtain written parental consent; participating programs would provide an annual list of approved services to parents and students.

Chad Stewart of the Virginia Education Association said he was not opposed in principle to counseling programs but objected to statutory carveouts that would waive existing child-day-program requirements (attendance accountability, emergency planning, incident reporting, posting notice), arguing the bill is unnecessary and could lower safety and oversight standards. Shelsey Delgado of the Legal Aid/Justice Center urged that any program allowing religious providers include an explicit equal-access guarantee so that all faiths are allowed equal opportunity.

Sen. Reeves said he had worked with the ACLU in revising the bill over the summer and that the bill is permissive and subject to local adoption. After substantial discussion and expressions of concern about the bill's posture and carveouts, the subcommittee voted to lay SB603 on the table (tabled) on a 6 to 3 recorded vote.

Next steps: SB603 was tabled by the subcommittee and will not proceed in this form unless revived by a subsequent motion.