Due to the youth mental health crisis many students are unable to schedule time to review course selections and receive career planning support from their school counselor due to the counselor’s high case load. Establishing a College and Career Specialist position would enable school counselors to provide needed focus on supporting student mental health and while enabling students to receive focused support to establish career goals and identify the credits, internships, training programs and post-secondary education needed to meet their career goals.

Through my personal experience and experience of countless friends and peers, a college and career specialist is one of the most vital assets needed in a teenagers life. In my own experience, with my parents graduating in an entirely different age of college admissions, my older siblings lacked any roadmaps or direction when they began to think about the trek after high school. Their career and college specialist at McLean HS was the lifeline that they found, which guided them through there finishing years of HS and college applications. Even for my more privileged background, college admissions in the current day are confusing, misleading, and lacking a reliable source of information on how to navigate them. Their college counselor worked them through step by step on how to pursue their interests, how to evaluate and look at schools, and finally how to write essays and fill out applications. My parents understood the process after they went through it, but they looked to the college and career specialist for direction when heading through the applications. They continue to remark on how it is something you never understand until a year after you apply, and they now seek to guide parents who were in the same situation as them. So many of my peers are in the situation that my siblings were in, and visits to the college center at our school are extremely resourceful for them and very transparent on the process. I hope that every student in the state can have these specialists to go to, because without them, I can't imagine how me or my siblings would have navigated post-McLean.

"I support HB 1396 as introduced, and it deserves a vote." Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the School Choice fight! Quick Links: Join the Rapid Response Team of Virginia for Educational Freedom School Choice petition to legislators Donate to Virginia for Educational Freedom For Our Children, Natassia Grover Director Virginia for Educational Freedom PS- It is vital that you sign our Petition for School Choice today. The thing politicians fear most is large numbers of angry voters, and your signature on the petition will be added to the thousands that have already signed. This Petition will be delivered to the House Educational Committee, and they will be told they must support full and complete School Choice. So click here to sign! Copyright © 2023 Acton Advocacy Group, All rights reserved. Fighting to restore freedom in education in the Commonwealth Our mailing address is: Acton Advocacy Group 11895 Folly Lane Lovettsville, VA 20180 Add us to your address book

Comments Document

HB 1461 oppose see attachment Hb1497 support Hb1507 oppose Hb1731 support HB 1967 support Hb1980 Support Hb1982 support

Teachers and parents need clear guidance as to how disruptive students are addressed. Teachers have enough to deal with considering the huge class sizes, wide range of learning loss, and behavioral issues. Public school leadership must adequately address this issue and not put this on the shoulders of teachers - who are already stretched too thin. BTW, I support having Resource Officers and metal detectors in all schools. Schools should be as secure as Federal Buildings and politicians' offices.

"I support HB 1396 as introduced, and it deserves a vote." Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the School Choice fight! Quick Links: Join the Rapid Response Team of Virginia for Educational Freedom School Choice petition to legislators Donate to Virginia for Educational Freedom For Our Children, Natassia Grover Director Virginia for Educational Freedom PS- It is vital that you sign our Petition for School Choice today. The thing politicians fear most is large numbers of angry voters, and your signature on the petition will be added to the thousands that have already signed. This Petition will be delivered to the House Educational Committee, and they will be told they must support full and complete School Choice. So click here to sign! Copyright © 2023 Acton Advocacy Group, All rights reserved. Fighting to restore freedom in education in the Commonwealth Our mailing address is: Acton Advocacy Group 11895 Folly Lane Lovettsville, VA 20180 Add us to your address book

the Virginia Autism Project and the Virginia Autism Advocacy Alliance support HB1981. Please vote Yes. on HB1981

"I support HB 1396 as introduced, and it deserves a vote." Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the School Choice fight! Quick Links: Join the Rapid Response Team of Virginia for Educational Freedom School Choice petition to legislators Donate to Virginia for Educational Freedom For Our Children, Natassia Grover Director Virginia for Educational Freedom PS- It is vital that you sign our Petition for School Choice today. The thing politicians fear most is large numbers of angry voters, and your signature on the petition will be added to the thousands that have already signed. This Petition will be delivered to the House Educational Committee, and they will be told they must support full and complete School Choice. So click here to sign! Copyright © 2023 Acton Advocacy Group, All rights reserved. Fighting to restore freedom in education in the Commonwealth Our mailing address is: Acton Advocacy Group 11895 Folly Lane Lovettsville, VA 20180 Add us to your address book

Comments Document

HB 1461 oppose see attachment Hb1497 support Hb1507 oppose Hb1731 support HB 1967 support Hb1980 Support Hb1982 support

"I support HB 1396 as introduced, and it deserves a vote." Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the School Choice fight! Quick Links: Join the Rapid Response Team of Virginia for Educational Freedom School Choice petition to legislators Donate to Virginia for Educational Freedom For Our Children, Natassia Grover Director Virginia for Educational Freedom PS- It is vital that you sign our Petition for School Choice today. The thing politicians fear most is large numbers of angry voters, and your signature on the petition will be added to the thousands that have already signed. This Petition will be delivered to the House Educational Committee, and they will be told they must support full and complete School Choice. So click here to sign! Copyright © 2023 Acton Advocacy Group, All rights reserved. Fighting to restore freedom in education in the Commonwealth Our mailing address is: Acton Advocacy Group 11895 Folly Lane Lovettsville, VA 20180 Add us to your address book

Good morning. My name is Elijah Lee and I am a 15 year old community activist. I have also had the honor of joining Delegate Lopez in the drafting of this legislation. When drafting this legislation, we wanted to empower students without burdening school boards, and that is exactly what this legislation does. This would be inexpensive to implement, and easy to navigate. School boards would have no extra burden to ensure this bill is followed through. What it is most important however, is that our young people would understand that they have a voice. The decision made by this committee will reinforce one of two narratives. One, being that the legislators who work at the General Assembly do not care for our young people or their voice. Or two, the legislators who work at the General Assembly are prepared to pass on the torch to the next generation, and begin the process if preparing new leaders. It is my hopes, as a proud product and active partner in the public school system, that the committee will have favor upon this bill and vote yes.

My name is Aaron Rafael Zevin-Lopez and I am offering this written testimony today as the State Co-President of the Virginia Chapter of the Voters of Tomorrow and as a part of the Coalition for Virginia’s future. Voters of Tomorrow is the leading Gen Z political engagement and youth voter outreach organization in the nation. The Coalition for Virginia’s Future is a coalition of the largest youth-led organizations in Virginia that collectively aim to uplift youth-led organizing work and promote a youth-inclusive vision for our Commonwealth. Member organizations in the coalition represent tens of thousands of students across the Commonwealth and include Generation Ratify VA, the Pride Liberation Project, Voters of Tomorrow VA, VAYD Teen Caucus, and the VA Teen Democrats. We believe that more student engagement is a positive thing for Virginia. With that in mind, we support House Bill 2069 to require that all School Boards create a method for selecting and having a student serve on the local school board. Currently, two states, Ohio and Massachusetts, require having students serve as school board members, and 31 states allow students to serve on them as a local option. Maryland allows them to have full voting power, while New Hampshire has already passed similar legislation requiring boards to include students. Students are a key stakeholder group in public schools and deserve to have a say in how the school systems are run. Moreover, full-voting adult school board members can greatly benefit from student involvement in board debates. They provide a direct link to the impact of the policies on students in the classroom every day. They can also more effectively relay school conditions to the Administration and decision-makers than non-students. More importantly, we believe that encouraging more civic engagement amongst students should be encouraged. Empowering and listening to youth voices has worked for years in places like Fairfax County and Newport News. We should be uplifting these student voices in every corner of Virginia. Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this important legislation for the youth of Virginia. We look forward to working with you closely. Aaron Rafael Zevin-Lopez Co-President Virginia Chapter Voters of Tomorrow

"I support HB 1396 as introduced, and it deserves a vote." Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the School Choice fight! Quick Links: Join the Rapid Response Team of Virginia for Educational Freedom School Choice petition to legislators Donate to Virginia for Educational Freedom For Our Children, Natassia Grover Director Virginia for Educational Freedom PS- It is vital that you sign our Petition for School Choice today. The thing politicians fear most is large numbers of angry voters, and your signature on the petition will be added to the thousands that have already signed. This Petition will be delivered to the House Educational Committee, and they will be told they must support full and complete School Choice. So click here to sign! Copyright © 2023 Acton Advocacy Group, All rights reserved. Fighting to restore freedom in education in the Commonwealth Our mailing address is: Acton Advocacy Group 11895 Folly Lane Lovettsville, VA 20180 Add us to your address book

If this bill is passed, it will be significantly lowering the representation NEEDED in queer children’s lives, making them feel outcasted, weird, un-natural, which they ARE NOT. The lack of representation will lead to a lack of information to the younger genersation, which will just lead america backwards in the fight for LGBTQIA progression.

I am a senior at Langley High School who is in full support of bill HB2136. It makes a difference for people my age to see themselves represented in literature and media. Those in protected classes often do not see themselves represented in media as much as others (those not in protected classes). I am comforted and affirmed by the fact that I have books that represent my identities within my school and local library. As a volunteer at the library, I see firsthand how it is a haven for people of all identities. Removing books for sexual content without any rigid guidelines will put all books dealing with protected classes at risk. I don’t want my library to be censored. Speaking as a student and for students: let us have our identities affirmed through accessible literature.

I support this bill as we shouldn't ban books based on such bigoted standards, be better, allow diversity.

As a student, I support bill HB2136. Banning books due only to the presence of a protected class is discriminatory and harmful to all students. Books should not be treated differently based on the presence of a protected class.

I support HB2136 Public school libraries; removal or restriction of access to printed or audiovisual material. It is a fundamental principle of fairness that government entities, including school boards, clearly set out and follow the procedures they adopt. Since before I was studying to become a librarian in 1970, school libraries have had selection policies including a process for challenging and removing something in the library. Because books are covered by our First Amendment, the reasons for removing one must be ground in fact, not opinion, or belief, or bias. And whatever our own opinions and beliefs, I don’t think we want either librarians or school administrations imposing theirs. Policies and procedures and transparency protect us all. Selection policies will guide librarians to build a collection that reflects and engages each student through “characters, literary elements, themes, symbols, or other literary content, fictional or nonfictional.” What appeals to one may not interest another. But it would be a poor library that left out some students, no matter what their “race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability or other medical condition.” Therefore I ask you to support HB2136.

Stories hold power and precedence over the way we view the world around us. Stories should realistically depict the world we inhabit, regardless of its inherent beauty or ugliness. It is through difficult topics and harsh truths in the stories some have tried to ban that one learns what perspective is. Learns what it means to hold empathy and human kindness. It’s through books like 1984, that one learns of the dangers of censorship that strive to obliterate free speech and the ideals of democracy. It’s books like To Kill a Mockingbird where one learns what color is, what it’s like to weigh men by the only true measure, character. The truth is beautiful. The truth is freedom. Our children deserve the right to learn through our stories.

I support this issue!

As a recent graduate of Virginia public schools who now attends Harvard College, I fully support HB 2136. As the General Assembly considers issues related to sexually explicit content, it is key that books are removed for their content, rather than a characters skin color. HB 2136 is a simple bill that clarifies that books cannot be removed on the basis of protected class. Most importantly, it ensures that children see themselves represented in the books they read. Children's worldviews are irreparably shaped by the media they consume, and their perspectives can be significantly widened or restricted by the books that are available at their school library. As a student who eagerly devoured every shelf in my library, I often sought books where the characters looked like me, where I could concretely envision myself on the page. HB 2136 would ensure that books aren't being removed for a character's skin color or sexual orientation, but there content.

I support parents being informed of sexually explicit materials being in the school library and/or classroom. I also support removing sexually explicit materials from K-12 buildings. Curating AGE-APPROPRIATE materials for K-12 schools is NOT the same as "book banning." If a book is available for purchase at a bookstore, online, or can be reserved at a public library - then it is certainly not "banned." What can we expect next from the far left? How about 50 Shades of Grey for 10th grade English?

"I support HB 1396 as introduced, and it deserves a vote." Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the School Choice fight! Quick Links: Join the Rapid Response Team of Virginia for Educational Freedom School Choice petition to legislators Donate to Virginia for Educational Freedom For Our Children, Natassia Grover Director Virginia for Educational Freedom PS- It is vital that you sign our Petition for School Choice today. The thing politicians fear most is large numbers of angry voters, and your signature on the petition will be added to the thousands that have already signed. This Petition will be delivered to the House Educational Committee, and they will be told they must support full and complete School Choice. So click here to sign! Copyright © 2023 Acton Advocacy Group, All rights reserved. Fighting to restore freedom in education in the Commonwealth Our mailing address is: Acton Advocacy Group 11895 Folly Lane Lovettsville, VA 20180 Add us to your address book

Support. Parent Liaisons are an important school support position that helps parents identify resources both within the school system as well as within the community to meet unique student and family needs. For English Language learner families, in particular, the parent liaison often serves as a critical connection point for families to learn about the American school system, understand how they can partner to support their student academically, and receive translation support.

"I support HB 1396 as introduced, and it deserves a vote." Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the School Choice fight! Quick Links: Join the Rapid Response Team of Virginia for Educational Freedom School Choice petition to legislators Donate to Virginia for Educational Freedom For Our Children, Natassia Grover Director Virginia for Educational Freedom PS- It is vital that you sign our Petition for School Choice today. The thing politicians fear most is large numbers of angry voters, and your signature on the petition will be added to the thousands that have already signed. This Petition will be delivered to the House Educational Committee, and they will be told they must support full and complete School Choice. So click here to sign! Copyright © 2023 Acton Advocacy Group, All rights reserved. Fighting to restore freedom in education in the Commonwealth Our mailing address is: Acton Advocacy Group 11895 Folly Lane Lovettsville, VA 20180 Add us to your address book

"I support HB 1396 as introduced, and it deserves a vote." Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the School Choice fight! Quick Links: Join the Rapid Response Team of Virginia for Educational Freedom School Choice petition to legislators Donate to Virginia for Educational Freedom For Our Children, Natassia Grover Director Virginia for Educational Freedom PS- It is vital that you sign our Petition for School Choice today. The thing politicians fear most is large numbers of angry voters, and your signature on the petition will be added to the thousands that have already signed. This Petition will be delivered to the House Educational Committee, and they will be told they must support full and complete School Choice. So click here to sign! Copyright © 2023 Acton Advocacy Group, All rights reserved. Fighting to restore freedom in education in the Commonwealth Our mailing address is: Acton Advocacy Group 11895 Folly Lane Lovettsville, VA 20180 Add us to your address book

Building quality impacts student success. More than half of Virginia’s school buildings are over 50 years old. 22% are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. 40% at or above capacity. 5% lack sufficient broadband. Establishing building quality standards while acknowledging historic building preservation concerns is an important step toward providing every student with 21st century learning opportunities in school buildings that meet modern health and safety standards.

"I support HB 1396 as introduced, and it deserves a vote." Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the School Choice fight! Quick Links: Join the Rapid Response Team of Virginia for Educational Freedom School Choice petition to legislators Donate to Virginia for Educational Freedom For Our Children, Natassia Grover Director Virginia for Educational Freedom PS- It is vital that you sign our Petition for School Choice today. The thing politicians fear most is large numbers of angry voters, and your signature on the petition will be added to the thousands that have already signed. This Petition will be delivered to the House Educational Committee, and they will be told they must support full and complete School Choice. So click here to sign! Copyright © 2023 Acton Advocacy Group, All rights reserved. Fighting to restore freedom in education in the Commonwealth Our mailing address is: Acton Advocacy Group 11895 Folly Lane Lovettsville, VA 20180 Add us to your address book

"I support HB 1396 as introduced, and it deserves a vote." Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the School Choice fight! Quick Links: Join the Rapid Response Team of Virginia for Educational Freedom School Choice petition to legislators Donate to Virginia for Educational Freedom For Our Children, Natassia Grover Director Virginia for Educational Freedom PS- It is vital that you sign our Petition for School Choice today. The thing politicians fear most is large numbers of angry voters, and your signature on the petition will be added to the thousands that have already signed. This Petition will be delivered to the House Educational Committee, and they will be told they must support full and complete School Choice. So click here to sign! Copyright © 2023 Acton Advocacy Group, All rights reserved. Fighting to restore freedom in education in the Commonwealth Our mailing address is: Acton Advocacy Group 11895 Folly Lane Lovettsville, VA 20180 Add us to your address book

"I support HB 1396 as introduced, and it deserves a vote." Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the School Choice fight! Quick Links: Join the Rapid Response Team of Virginia for Educational Freedom School Choice petition to legislators Donate to Virginia for Educational Freedom For Our Children, Natassia Grover Director Virginia for Educational Freedom PS- It is vital that you sign our Petition for School Choice today. The thing politicians fear most is large numbers of angry voters, and your signature on the petition will be added to the thousands that have already signed. This Petition will be delivered to the House Educational Committee, and they will be told they must support full and complete School Choice. So click here to sign! Copyright © 2023 Acton Advocacy Group, All rights reserved. Fighting to restore freedom in education in the Commonwealth Our mailing address is: Acton Advocacy Group 11895 Folly Lane Lovettsville, VA 20180 Add us to your address book