I would ask that you would stop passing bills without considering the time it will take away from school personnel by adding another task to their already full plate. It is also not helpful to burden taxpayers in local communities with all the unfunded mandates. Also, why would we allow any Virginia students replace Virginia history and civic requirements with International Baccalaureate coursework? If they are students in Virginia, they should know the history of their state and their civic duties as a citizen of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Thank you for your consideration. Karen M Wirsing

The government decided to make all title one school lunches, free. Plenty of parents are able to pay. Go back to the pay as you go system and those on welfare can get school lunches for free.

No child should go hungry, but SB42 shifts responsibility for unpaid meal debt onto local school boards, creating a costly mandate that diverts limited education funds away from classrooms. School boards do not control family income, federal meal eligibility rules, or participation in assistance programs. Requiring divisions to absorb uncollectible debt effectively forces local taxpayers to cover costs that should be addressed through federal nutrition programs or targeted state support. This mandate could mean fewer resources for teachers, instructional materials, and student services, all to backfill a systemic funding gap. A better solution is to expand direct assistance to families and improve enrollment in free and reduced-price meal programs.

Please pass this important bill