Please pass this important bill

The American public education system has been disrupted for decades. The inconsistent system of lower standards and expectations for students is not working. Same with the constant lack of accountability for students’ behavior in classrooms. Now Harvard is teaching remedial classes. Family must be responsible for their children’s education.

On behalf of Virginia First Cities Coalition's 17 historic cities, we support HB178. This bill provides extra protections for the identities of students who participate in programming led by Student Support Agencies that have contracts for services for students. Requiring these non-profit organizations to register and maintain status as a certified student support agency and additional protocols for the use and collection of data will keep student data safe. Additional oversight by the DOE will add needed protections for vulnerable students.

Strong, coordinated student support systems are essential to improving academic performance, attendance, and overall student success. When schools and partner agencies collaborate and share information appropriately, they are better able to identify concerns early and implement timely interventions before challenges escalate. This level of collaboration helps create a supportive environment for students and families by ensuring access to the right services and resources when they are most needed. At the same time, data sharing can be complex due to consent requirements and privacy regulations. While these protections are necessary, they can present barriers to coordination among agencies. It is important that we continue working within these guidelines while strengthening communication and developing clear processes that allow us to support students effectively. We all share the same goal: student achievement and well-being. Establishing structured systems, maintaining consistent communication, and fostering strong cross-agency partnerships allow us to better address absenteeism, provide instructional and remediation support, and offer tutoring or additional interventions as needed. When staff across organizations work together, we create a stronger network of support for students, families, and school personnel, ultimately leading to improved outcomes for everyone involved.

I strongly support this bill, which would allow agencies to receive school attendance and grade data directly from schools in a timely manner. Earlier access to this information would enable agencies to identify challenges sooner and provide meaningful interventions when they can have the greatest impact. Under the current process, agencies must contact each individual school at the end of the month, which significantly delays support and limits our ability to help students improve their outcomes. This bill promotes efficiency, early intervention, and better results for students.

ForKids is among many student support agencies, also known as community based organizations, which endeavor to positively impact student success in school both for attendance and academics. This bill dramatically increases organizations' ability to be more impactful partners with school systems by providing data through authenticated systems in real time. Timeliness of supports and/or interventions offered to students and families by student support agencies through security verified data sharing equals more students in Virginia meeting and exceeding expectations. Varied and multiple supports are warranted at times as evidenced by the success of the MTSS framework and implementation in schools. This bill gives school systems and families vetted, fully informed partners to address the nationwide attendance issue and potential subsequent achievement challenges that occur when instructional days are missed.

https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB38 Violates Constitution as aimed at minorities, also singling them out for being "mental" which can be a source of bullying. https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB96 Waste, fraud and abuse program. No affordability in where people who are working 2 jobs to pay for their kids, should have to pay for others who make more than they do. https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB178 This should not be used to buy votes. That's exactly what it is.