(TNS) — Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Tuesday signed 21 education bills into law, advancing efforts to address student mental health, regulate schools’ use of technology and social media and bolster oversight of struggling schools and aging facilities.
The legislation — much of which passed with bipartisan or unanimous support — builds on the separate batch of school safety measures she approved last week. Spanberger hasn’t yet touched more controversial education bills like the one that would require all school districts to unionize.
SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION
Spanberger signed a wide-ranging bill to revive the Commission on School Construction and Modernization, which hasn’t met since 2022 and hasn’t assessed the needs of Virginia’s school buildings since 2021. More than half of all school buildings in Virginia are more than 50 years old, according to the 2021 report, and it would cost $25 billion to replace or rebuild all of those schools — based on data from five years ago. Up-to-date numbers will likely show more need.
The commission is now required to produce a 10-year capital roadmap by November and to annually review the needs of Virginia’s schools.
Sen. Lashrecse Aird, D-Petersburg, who introduced the bill, said it “creates a real pathway” and ensures the state “puts its money where its mouth is, helping localities to pay for school construction.”
Spanberger has yet to act on a bill that would allow voters in each locality to decide whether to impose an extra 1 percent local sales tax for school construction. Democrats say the measure is urgently needed and that, while the state has expanded some funding streams, those tools cover only a fraction of local needs, particularly in rural divisions.TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM
A new law will require schools to promote the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline as a resource for students facing bullying and cyber bullying. Another newly signed law requires public schools to provide instruction on the addictive potential of electronics like cellphones and computers as concerns grow about student screen time and its impact on learning and well-being.
“This is a step to ensure we’re giving students the full picture when it comes to screen time,” said Sen. Glen Sturtevant, R-Chesterfield, who introduced the bill. “By adding instruction on the addictive nature of these devices, we’re helping young people understand early on how screens can impact their focus, habits and overall well-being. It’s a much-needed addition that reflects the realities students are facing.”
As part of the pushback against student social media use, schools will soon no longer be allowed to use social media as the sole method of communicating about extracurricular activities.
For years, Virginia officials have been working to ban student cellphone use in K-12 classrooms, but enforcing those rules has proved a challenge in some schools. A new law aims to reinforce the state’s push, requiring schools to impose “bell-to-bell” limits on student phone use and tightening what lawmakers say were gaps in earlier policies.
SUPPORTING LOW-PERFORMING SCHOOLS
A new law from Del. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, head of the House Education Committee, requires the state superintendent to support the improvement of low-performing schools based on their ranks in the new school accountability system established under the last governor’s administration.
Instead of the old system, which deemed the overwhelming majority of schools “accredited,” the new system publicly ranks each Virginia school in one of four performance categories. Statewide, about 23 percent of schools are “distinguished.” The plurality — 42 percent — are “on track,” while 22 percent are “off track” and 12 percent are labeled “needs intensive support.”
Rasoul’s bill, which the governor signed into law Tuesday, will also require the superintendent to ensure that the state education department is appropriately organized and employs qualified staff to provide support to such low-performing schools. The bill was one recommendation from a December report from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, the legislature’s watchdog agency.
MORE BILLS
Other bills signed Tuesday include expanding access to career and technical education, streamlining higher education financial aid applications and tweaks to prior reforms on Standards of Learning testing procedures.
HB332 and SB203: Making it easier to get career and technical education teachers into the classroom.
SB592: Aligning career and technical education course offerings with emerging industry and workforce needs.
HB211: Studying barriers to Head Start and Early Head Start participation in Virginia.
HB1221 and SB167: Cutting red tape by streamlining Virginia’s higher education financial aid programs to reduce confusion and help Virginia students apply for awards.
HB299 and SB200: Strengthening the administration of Standards of Learning assessments.
SB817: Empowering parents by requiring schools to notify parents of student course enrollment deadlines and the process for requesting changes to course selection.
HB1243: Ensuring state accountability ratings accurately reflect student achievement growth.
HB647: Helping more career and technical education instructors get licensed.
HB206: Giving parents additional information about the administration of college partnership laboratory schools.
HB1086: Encouraging K-12 schools to purchase fresh school meal ingredients from Virginia farmers and producers.
HB832: Assisting Governor’s Schools in increasing meal offerings available to all students.
HB705 and SB151: Developing a statewide program of instruction on water safety for elementary school students.
HB971: Protecting student-athletes’ biometric data.
SB529: Focusing the training of school security officers on emergency procedures and responding to behavioral threats in schools.
HB1301 and SB122: Supporting students with diabetes.
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