Please vote No. Neurotypical kids would have difficulties easily meeting the board criteria,, let alone any child who has a disability impacting control. If it is a nonviolent disruption, that’s the opportunity to teach skills a child will need to be a productive member of society. Otherwise, things will progress and behaviors could become less safe now requiring more money and resources to ensure FAPE is given along with intense behavioral intervention or the state paying for a child to go to a specialized school. Vote No and allow all kids to have the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive.

As the mother of two neurodiverse children and a former middle school math and science teacher, high school math teacher, and Grades 7-12 reform school Math Department Chair, this bill will only serve to stigmatize and traumatize children who are, quite simply, doing their best. It was very rare in my years of teaching that I ever encountered students with behavior so severe that they needed to be permanently removed from the setting. A reminder that I worked in a reform school and can still say that. Most especially at the elementary school level where students with Executive Functioning challenges have not yet learned impulse control, this bill seems damning. Parents often do not discover their children’s neurodivergence until upper elementary because it can earlier on be attributed to immaturity or youth. Once they discover these neurodivergencies, there’s no magic switch to be flipped. The hard work begins then. They may try therapy, occupational therapy, homeopathic methods, medication that can cause impulse control help and impulse control challenges, doctors visits, and be put on waitlists for years to get formal testing. They may attempt to get an IEP at school only to have the process blocked or begrudgingly agreed to as only a 504 plan. In the meanwhile, their children have trouble in the classroom not because they want to but because their brains work differently than their peers. Admittedly, this is really challenging for teachers. I have been in that place and have had students who, even at the high school level, have impulse control challenges. But I would never want the student permanently removed from my class. My guess is this bill was created without the input from teachers. Want to know what teachers want? They want a safe place students can go to calm down when they are dysregulated. They want full-time social workers and full-time psychologists on staff who are there to help teach these skills to the kids in the moment, even it is most teachable, when they are feeling dysregulated. They want students with special needs to receive an IEP so they can be taught these social skills, emotional regulation, skills, and life skills to help improve their classroom behavior. I would be interested in seeing the statistics behind students with behavior problems. How many have special needs? ADHD comes to mind. This three strike rule as it stands is discriminatory.

I am horrified by this bill, which essentially criminalizes children with disabilities, who are already subject to disproportionate discipline practices. Please vote NO.

This bill punishes kids for behaviors they can’t control and “others” neurodivergent children, which will result in worse outcomes for them.

This is a lovely way to kick out 3/4 of children from the school system entirely. The only time a bill like this should clear the legislature of the great state of Virginia is if another bill is passed first, to kick out every legislator- one strike and not three- that makes discretionary and arbitrary decisions which interfere with the ability for our public school system to actually educate children. It also stands to reason that we need another bill, to send the sponsors and authors of this bill right back to elementary school. Hopefully, they will behave themselves.

Support

Hi, I'm a teacher in the Virginia public schools (Arlington County) and the aunt of a neurodiverse student in Fairfax County. Please do not vote for this bill. When there is lenience in determining "disruptive behavior" and rigidness in restrictions and punishments, you aren't working with the students, teachers, and families for the best possible outcomes. Research shows that these inflexible punishments allowing for open ended definitions of "disruptive" disproportionately affect neurodiverse students and students of color. It hurts the students we are constantly trying to "help overcome an achievement gap." Instead of looking at trying to fix the students, we need to stop breaking their chances at an education by not creating harmful policies such as this. I am a teacher. I know it is sometimes hard to meet all of my students needs, particularly if one or two or a few or several have high needs. But if I don't have the training or personell to give the child the instruction or instructional environment they need and they are legally entitled to, that's because of lack of resources on the school system's part, not for a failure on the students part. That's not to say there isn't ever a need for discipline. But there has to be every effort to meet the child's needs, and work with the child and family and school to help them do well and be well. It should not be easier to just boot them out of class. That's not how Virginia educators roll. We care about educating our students. Show that you do, too, and vote against this bill. Thank you. Amy E. Langrehr 11136 Forest Edge Dr Reston VA 20190

First: HB 1461: Uniform System of Discipline for Disruptive Behavior -- Standards are important. However, please Vote NO on this bill. More work is needed to define the behaviors that are considered disruptive that would merit 3 strikes and you are out. Equally important, modify the bill to allocate resources ($ and training and staff) to ASSIST needy "disruptive" students and their families (including those with ADHD) rather than EXCLUDING them. Second: HB 1497: Fair Pay -- Please vote YES. It is an embarassment that VA teachers are so poorly compensated.

We oppose House Bill 1461, DoE to establish uniform system of discipline for disruptive behavior. "Disruptive behavior" is often in the eye of the beholder, and, in the Commonwealth of Virginia, disproportionately identifies students of color and/or differently abled as disruptive, enhancing Virginia's nationally recognized infamous school-to-prison pipeline. It is illegal, as it is discriminatory. Stop this nonsense NOW.

I strongly oppose this bill. The vague notion of “disruptive” behavior leaves too much open to interpretation. Students of color and those with disabilities are very likely to be negatively impacted, as they are already targets of increased discipline. This bill will make those disciplinary inequities even worse.

House Bill 1461 would require the Virginia Department of Education to establish a uniform system for disciplining disruptive behavior in class and removing a student from the classroom. For non-violent “disruptive” behavior, the bill would implement a three strikes and you’re out policy. “Disruptive” in this bill is so broadly defined that it is unclear as to what exactly qualifies a child for removal. Each and every parent should ask themselves: “Could my K-12 child’s common behaviors be considered disruptive?” For parents of neuro-diverse children, this bill is our worst nightmare. Underlying neurodivergence, like autism or ADHD, is impulse control, or more specifically, lack-thereof. These children have trouble “self-regulating” and struggle to control their initial responses to certain situations. Any parent of a neurodiverse child can tell you, if a situation isn’t just right or if there is a change to a regular schedule or if for some reason his shirt just “doesn’t feel right,” the odds of an impulsive (read, “disruptive”) response increases. Crying, yelling, ripping paper. He acts first…thinks about consequences later. This isn’t because he doesn’t want to, it is because he isn’t able to. It takes years of practice, therapy, and patience to turn this around. But under HB 1461, he no longer has years. Before he has had a chance to calm down, a task that can take an excruciatingly long time for a kid who has to work twice as hard to overcome his own brain to do so, he’s out. And let’s be clear, “out” in this context will most likely mean “seclusion,” a practice that is traumatizing and creates worse behavior. Before he has reached the end of first grade, he’s been effectively criminalized for something he cannot control yet. Criminalized for being different. Criminalized for being a kindergartner. Parents of neurodiverse children know our kids are different. We know that we are different when we are taking our kids to expensive occupational therapy (usually not covered by insurance) to learn impulse control skills. We know they are different when we are spending hours of our day calling different pharmacies to track down medications that are in short supply. We know they are different when we are trying to navigate the byzantine 504 plan/ IEP process, sometimes begging school administrators to give our kids what they need to thrive in school. We spent nights awake worrying that despite all we do to help, if we even have the time and money to get that help, the world may still be cruel to them. With HB 1461, Delegates Wiley and Fowler are guaranteeing that our kids WILL be singled-out, punished, and excluded based on behaviors that they cannot control.. Not only does this violate the terms of their individualized education plans, but this also violates their right to Free and Appropriate Public Education.

This bill will disproportionately harm black, brown, and disabled students, all of whom are subject to disproportionate disciplinary measures already. As the mother of a neurodivergent child, who sometimes has outbursts when overwhelmed, this kind of bill terrifies me. It makes students like mine LESS and not MORE safe in school. Further it i runs contrary to up to date neuroscience about seclusion and restraint practices. PLEASE if you support thay federal law that all students are entitled to a free and appropriate public education in a least restrictive environment, you HAVE to oppose 1461. I cannot believe we are even discussing this. It’s dehumanizing. I am utterly disgusted with every politician who voted yes in the HOD and I will be heartbroken if it passes the senate. DO BETTER for disabled students.

Vote this bill down! A million times no to giving CHILDREN 3 strikes and they are out of school. It is a child’s job to be a child and that means making mistakes and learning from them. There does need to be consequences but educators should be working on this and not politicians who have proven to us repeatedly that you know nothing about children, education or empathy.

Young children especially those in elementary school and sometimes those going through puberty cannot fully control their behavior. There is a wide range of behaviors that could be considered disruptive by one teacher but not another. Students should not be subjected to a three strike policy for behaviors that are beyond their control and can be called disruptive based on the biases of individual teachers. This bill will permanently harm students who are neurodivergent or for any number of reasons not conforming to a specific teacher's standards for non disruptive behavior.

Vote NO on HB 1461. Children should not be punished or excluded from learning based on behaviors they are unable to control because of their stage of development or an undiagnosed disability.

House Bill 1461 would require the Virginia Department of Education to establish a uniform system for disciplining disruptive behavior in class and removing a student from the classroom. For non-violent “disruptive” behavior, the bill would implement a three strikes and you’re out policy. “Disruptive” in this bill is so broadly defined that it is unclear as to what exactly qualifies a child for removal. Each and every parent should ask themselves: “Could my K-12 child’s common behaviors be considered disruptive?” Please vote NO on HB1461 With HB 1461, Delegates Wiley and Fowler are guaranteeing that our kids WILL be singled-out, punished, and excluded based on behaviors that they cannot control.. Not only does this violate the terms of their individualized education plans, but this also violates their right to Free and Appropriate Public Education. Please vote NO on HB1461 Thank you, Stair Calhoun Fairfax

For non-violent “disruptive” behavior, the bill would implement a three strikes and you’re out policy. “Disruptive” in this bill is so broadly defined that it is unclear as to what exactly qualifies a child for removal. It is open to interpretation and everyone has their own idea of what is too much. This will impact neuro diverse and black adn brown children to the greatest extent. Public school is for all children. Teachers should receive more training, or there should be resources devoted to situations where a child is being disruptive. No child should be "out" for non-violent behavior. Each and every parent should ask themselves: “Could my K-12 child’s common behaviors be considered disruptive?”

Say NO to HB1461! As a parent of a child with ADHD, who already hates going to school because it takes every once of his being to regulate himself during the day, this bill will make it so he has no chance to succeed. These kids are not being disruptive just to be disruptive. Every kid is different and learns differently. We should be supporting an inclusive learning environment - not going back to the days of the 40s and 50s where discipline with a ruler and force was acceptable. It's clear the writers of this bill either don't have kids or don't have kids that would be adversely impacted by this bill. Shame on you for introducing this bill.

I OPPOSE HB1461. As a mom to a son with Autism, ADHD and other issues this scares me. Each child is different and they are not cookie cutters. We need more mental health care in schools NOT this. Please vote no on HB1461/

VOTE NO to HB 1431 Our kids are not "standard;" therefore, you cannot standardize a procedure to deal with discipline, especially when there is clear evidence that discipline standardization will not prevent disruptive behavior, but may push kids who have impulse control issues out of the classroom. Those of us whose children have ADHD know that surprising things can trigger an outburst, and expecting a child whose anxiety has been triggered to "calm down" is about as possible as avoiding an obstacle when you are slipping on ice--it is out of their control and they need space and time to calm down. They also need to learn coping skills over their lifetime of education in public schools, not a three strikes and you are out disciplinary action which will result in increased punishment and exclusion, with no reduction in "disruptive behaviors." It is also clear that some groups will ALWAYS be targeted for discipline no matter their behavior due to race, ethnicity, religion. gender, gender identity, disability, or language. Do not criminalize our kids. Offer them opportunities to learn in a safe environment with well-trained teachers who can support their needs.

As the parent of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD in second grade in Fairfax County, I write to express my strong opposition to this legislation. At 8 years old, my son comes home each day knowing he is different than the other kids in class. He tries as hard as he can to fit in because he desperately wants to make friends and thrive in his classroom. And I love how inclusive, accepting, and supportive his elementary school is to make that happen. HB 1461 would create uniform standards for discipline of students that includes removal of children from the classroom for "disruptive" behavior. This bill would penalizes students like my son simply for being themselves and trying to fit into a general education classroom. My son is incredibly intelligent and is a so-called "twice-exceptional learner"; a student with neurodevelopment disorders and a high IQ. He needs intellectual stimulation and the opportunity to learn the social communication and emotional regulation skills that are challenging for him. The best place to receive that is in a general education setting. HB 1461 would make it easy to exclude him for being "disruptive", a subjective issue that could be as minor as blurting out answers at inappropriate times or making vocalizing "self-stimulating" noises, a harmless common aspect of autism. Children like my son are not the problem in a classroom. They have just as much right to receive a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment as any other child. This bill would circumvent the legal rights of numerous students and make it easier to discriminate against them rather than to help them. I see that the bill now has a section to create a stakeholder work group on the issue of students with disabilities. That is an unacceptable fig leaf that gives cold comfort to parents like me. The bill would be binding law; the stakeholder work group would be an ex post facto advisory effort with no authority. Rather than punishing students, it would be far more productive to engage students, parents, and teachers about what classrooms need to be successful. Removing students is not the solution; appropriately resourcing and supporting teachers to meet all students' needs is. I strongly oppose this proposal, and urge all Delegates to reject it and protect the rights of students with disabilities like my son.

We appreciate Del. Wiley's desire to support teachers being challenged by disruptive student behavior. VCASE is very concerned still with the substitute that still only focuses on student removal and ignores root causes of behavior and the many prevention strategies that could be employed. We must keep minority students with disabilities out of the class and school removal pipeline, where they are disproportionately punished with removal.

The bill, as presented, shows that its Parton and co-patrons showed no care or even considered the impacts that this will have on students of color and disabilities. Virginia has experienced this "three-strike" rule era. I myself am a product of this; I can tell you from experience that this will have a disparate impact on students of color and students with disabilities with no plan to ensure these students do not fall behind or have a reduced education experience. A bill of this nature must have detailed instructions to the administration, and, frankly, should have a JLARC or other committee study on this matter. This is our commonwealth's most important investment, and our work for our students will impact them throughout the rest of their lives. Additionally, this administration has proved to themselves that they are unwilling and incapable of providing equity within our school system. Virginia remains one of the top 10 states for education in the nation because of our values in equity and social and emotional learning. This bill will further the administration's damage to education and its mission of creating a toxic public K-12 system to push its agenda of private, unregulated school choice programs. Within itself has issues of fair and appropriate education. I urge the committee to pass indefinitely/vote down

As a taxpayer and voter, former school board attorney, and former special educator, I oppose this bill on a number of grounds. The proposal for uniform statewide criteria that require the classroom teacher to perform summary removal of a student who might be regarded as violent, or to perform removal of a student based on three instances of disruptive behavior, is misguided and not based on research-based data. Nor does it advance proper educational objectives or provide for the well-being of the school community. First, Virginia is a commonwealth. The local school board has the legal authority to determine what policies and regulations are to be in effect in its school division, including those to be be followed in its code of student conduct. Model policies and procedures are available from the VSBA, which leaves the discretion to the school boards. Mandates from legislators and bureaucrats in Richmond are not appropriate. Consider this: that it is for the local school division to determine, in consultation with its residents, and its community of families, agencies, and congregations, whether and how it is prepared to meet the needs of the disruptive student once the student has been removed from the program of education that the student is entitled to. There is a greater context within which these decisions must be made, beyond classroom management concerns or available staffing levels on any given day. Consider also: that even the classroom teacher who would be required by this bill to remove the student is not fully protected. The teacher is called upon to make a decision in the heat of the moment, which may later be second-guessed in the calm comforts of a courtroom where a judge or jury decides whether or not the teacher's actions or methods were reasonable. What if the teacher does not remove a student before the violent student causes harm to another student -- is the teacher liable for that? And the teacher's actions may or may not be in compliance with the federal laws based upon protection from discrimination based upon racial or disability or gender equality, which is another potential liability faced by the teacher and the school division under this bill. In conclusion, as legislators, you should steer clear of this bill, and instead focus on providing better supports and training for building administrators and teachers in our public schools who are faced with these situations. Legislators and the VDOE should be funding and making available training and staffing levels that will better address solutions for violence and disruptions in our classrooms, as well as in our school buildings and on our school buses.

Comments Document

Please see attached PDF that outlines why the VA NAACP Education Committee's opposes HB 1461.

I am reaching out today to urge you to OPPOSE HB 1461 on the grounds that it will put our Students with Disabilities and Students of Color at EXTREME Risk. Please take this opportunity to help expand and improve " Keeping All Students Safe Act". When you are sending kids out of the classroom that is considered seclusion and it is now taking us back and not forward. Our family experienced this first hand in 1st grade. I had to hire advocates who knew the laws to get child's needs met at school. A child can't learn if he doesn't feel safe and supported by professionals. Let's provide more education and training to support our Neurodiversity population. They are not broken and do not need to be fixed. They need to accepted and supported! HIS NEEDS WERE NOT BEING MET EMOTIONALLY/SOCIALLY AND HE WAS NOT SAFE! (Fairfax County Schools). Teachers have enough on their plate and should feel safe in a classroom, but not at the expense of children who are helpless and who do not have their needs met by school administrators/ districts! TOP DOWN IS WHERE WE NEED A CHANGE! If families do not have the resources to educate themselves and advocate for their children what happens to them and their future? I have included some resources that explain why we need to STOP this now and get our children/Teachers more support from top down! We know better and should do better!! https://livesinthebalance.org/ " When Kids get secluded they get lost" https://livesinthebalance.org/advocacy/public-awareness/ https://www.nassp.org/top-issues-in-education/position-statements/school-discipline/ Some of these district-level factors include “whether or not schools’ discipline disparities are remedied, conducting careful selection and training of principals, providing support for teacher and leadership training, initiating changes to the school discipline code of conduct, and providing the specific behavioral supports and services that students with disabilities need” (Losen, et al, 2015). https://www.illuminateed.com/blog/2021/02/disproportionality/ According to the American Psychological Association, “exclusionary discipline encompasses any type of school disciplinary action that removes or excludes a student from his or her usual educational setting” (American Psychological Association Services). Several studies (Girvan, E. J. et al, 2017; Monahan K.C. et al, 2014; Welch, K. et al, 2014), including research done by the United States Government Accountability Office, illustrate students of color, boys, and students with disabilities most often experience significant punitive actions such as suspensions and expulsions when compared with their peers. This trend was found across all school types regardless of factors such as overall school poverty and grade level (United States Government Accountability Office Report to Congressional Requesters, 2018). There is a well-documented link between exclusionary discipline and an increased likelihood to drop out, exhibit delinquent and potentially criminal behavior, and spend time in the corrections system (Balfanz, R. et al, 2014; Monahan K.C. et al, 2014). Research indicates a strong correlation between exclusionary discipline practices and overall academic failure, but many educators cite in-the-moment escalation as the determining factor in selecting a consequence. This leaves little room for more objectively weighing the benefits and drawbacks of disciplinary actions.

Comments Document

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

Please vote NO to VA HB 1461. The bill will have a devastating impact on Black students, students with disabilities, and low-income students, who are many times more likely to be disciplined in school for the same behaviors exhibited by White students. The bill includes vague language and little specific detail regarding what constitutes “violent” and “disruptive” behavior, and frightening requirements that teachers exclude children from the classroom based on these broad assessments. Also troubling was the addition of wording around “hairstyle” as an item for which a child might be excluded from school. Black students across the nation are disciplined for wearing natural hairstyles like dreadlocks and braids. Including this language in the definitions is a dangerous red flag in already dangerous terrain. Research shows that White teachers tend to view Black students as angrier and more aggressive, and to discipline them more harshly and more often than White students. In Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) we have a 60% minority population and an 84% White teaching force. Research on discipline disparities and race, and the data for FCPS, which show Black students and students with disabilities disciplined 3-4 times more often than White students, suggest that the proposed HB1461 will have catastrophic impacts on our students. Additionally, we are concerned that this bill prohibits systems from holding teachers accountable for their behaviors toward children if those behaviors, regardless of their nature, are deemed to be “reasonable.” Teacher stress is high; class sizes are growing as staffing shortages increase; students report unhealthy levels of mental/emotional strain. All this, combined with existing biases in discipline for students of color and special education students, requires greater care and accountability of disciplinary actions, not less. Teachers need training and support to assure they are meeting students' needs, while maintaining safe and supportive classrooms. Demanding that teachers institute developmentally inappropriate, pedagogically unsound, and categorically unsuccessful 3-strikes policies does not make classrooms safer or better, but it will almost certainly feed the school-to-prison pipeline and deny countless Black and brown children, boys, and students with disabilities the benefits of a good education. As a citizen of the Commonwealth of Virginia and a parent of a child who has experienced trauma and we need to do better!

My name is Chris Jones, and I represent VASCD. Thank you for allowing me to submit written comments on HB 1461. We oppose this bell because we believe the impact of a universal, one-size-fits-all approach to disruptive behavior would be detrimental to student success, particularly because it would not account for student differences and the circumstances some of our children face. Furthermore, a three-strikes rule would lead to more exclusionary practices, which would exacerbate the learning gaps we see not only with academics but with social and behavioral outcomes as well. Instead, our focus should remain on empowering and trusting our teachers and school leaders to work with families and students, and our energy should shift to providing them the necessary resources and supports needed. We prefer to see student codes of conduct left to the localities for school boards and divisions to work with their communities to identify specific issues and send appropriate resources and supports to better serve our teachers, school leaders, families, and ultimately Virginia's students.

As a mother to a neurodiverse child, this bill would be detrimental to his success in a public school setting by streamlining non-violent offense response. This should be handled at the local school level with the administration and the parents. This is not something that should be streamlined. Kids do not all fit in the same box and there is not a “one magic solution” for all kids and all situations.

My name is Nicole Miller, chapter operations manager for the Autism Society Tidewater Virginia. We strongly opposed HB 1461. Please VOTE NO on HB1461. This bill requires the Department of Education to create a uniform system of discipline for disruptive behavior in schools. Exemptions for disabled students won’t protect those who are not yet diagnosed with a developmental disability. Local school districts should control how they manage students and no one-systemic approach can anticipate the needs of all children. This bill is important to me because my son has Autism Spectrum Disorder level 2, borderline cognitive functioning, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. My son's IEP team has come together when any behavioral challenge came up, and even before he had an IEP, we always came together and found an individualized and adaptive solution that worked for my student, his classmates, and teacher. This bill would eliminate push for collaborative planning and problem solving within the school and home network. Please do not limit options for our administrators, teachers, families, and most importantly our students. Thank you!

HB1461 - This proposal is fair to all. HB1497 - Too expensive, major cities like Chesapeake/VB/Norfolk taxpayers can't afford more taxes to pay teachers. We need to pay for bus drivers. Get rid of 1/2 the administrative bloat, then you would have more $$$ to pay teachers, nurses and bus drivers. HB1507 - This is the main driver of the elections: constitutionally protect parent control. HB1691 - This would help with SRO's and given the fights in schools, is desparately needed. Please move to report. HB1704 - Needed now, given the rapes in LCPS. HB1733 - Not needed, they already can and do this. HB2021 - Always love to see parents provided with information. HB2264 - No more mission creep. Educate the kids: leave the psych stuff to another groups w/that focus. HB2405 - Excellent suggestion!

This bill would be to the detriment of many of our marginalized and disabled students. Please do not allow this bill to stand and subject further harm, within public schools, to the already most vulnerable.

This Bill will cause harm to the children and families in Virginia. Black and Brown children are already singled out in school . We are working on reducing inequality. Do not create more policies that will cause harm to Virginia families. Challenging behaviors should be addressed by mental health professionals not educators. Please vote NO to this bill. Virginia's Black and Brown youth and families deserve better.

The Fairfax County NAACP urges you to vote NO to HB 1461. The bill will have a devastating impact on Black students, students with disabilities, and low income students, who are many times more likely to be disciplined in school for the same behaviors exhibited by White students. The bill includes vague language and little specific detail regarding what constitutes “violent” and “disruptive” behavior, and frightening requirements that teachers exclude children from the classroom based on these broad assessments. Also troubling was the addition of wording around “hairstyle” as an item for which a child might be excluded from school. Black students across the nation are disciplined for wearing natural hairstyles like dreadlocks and braids. Including this language in the definitions is a dangerous red flag in already dangerous terrain. Research shows that White teachers tend to view Black students as angrier and more aggressive, and to discipline them more harshly and more often than White students. In Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) we have a 60% minority population and an 84% White teaching force. Research on discipline disparities and race, and the data for FCPS which show Black students and students with disabilities disciplined 3-4 times more often than White students, suggest that the proposed HB1461 will have catastrophic impacts on our students. Additionally, we are concerned that this bill prohibits systems from holding teachers accountable for their behaviors toward children if those behaviors, regardless of their nature, are deemed to be “reasonable.” Teacher stress is high; class sizes are growing as staffing shortages increase; students report unhealthy levels of mental/emotional strain. All this, combined with existing biases in discipline for students of color and special education students, requires greater care and accountability of disciplinary actions, not less. Teachers need training and support to assure they are meeting students' needs, while maintaining safe and supportive classrooms. Demanding that teachers institute developmentally inappropriate, pedagogically unsound, and categorically unsuccessful 3-strikes policies does not make classrooms safer or better, but it will almost certainly feed the school-to-prison pipeline and deny countless Black and brown children, boys, and students with disabilities the benefits of a good education. We at the Fairfax County NAACP urge you to vote against HB 1461 and we welcome the opportunity to work together to bring outstanding educational opportunities in supportive, nurturing and successful classrooms to every child in Virginia. Sujatha Hampton, Ph.D. 2nd VP/Education Chair Fairfax County NAACP Michelle Leete, President Fairfax County NAACP

The proposed VA HB 1461 is unequivocally ableist and racist. It will disproportionately affect students with disabilities, students of color, male students and students who have experienced trauma. The bill will put Autistic students, those with ADHD, those with communication disorders and others developmental disabilities at great risk. It is well established by multiple studies that students with disabilities, male students and students of color are all disproportionately disciplined by schools. In August 2022, the US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights published a report illustrating these disparities. This disproportionate impact is seen across the US and VA. In FCPS students with disabilities and Black students are 3-4 times more likely to be disciplined than their peers. The language of the bill is so vague and subjective as to allow school staff an extremely wide berth in defining both violent and non-violent “disruptive” behavior. This subjectivity will result in inconsistent implementation of this law. Ambiguous wording can be interpreted by adults to justify abusive treatment of complex students with neurological differences and communication disabilities. The law itself flies in the face of expected and healthy child development. It is developmentally appropriate for younger children not to know or understand social rules and developmentally appropriate for tweens teens to rebel against those rules. Part of learning (and schooling) is to teach students expected social behavior and to help students manage and navigate conflict and difficult periods of development. If we immediately punish students harshly and without nuance or exception for expected biological behavior we are literally creating a law that punishes them for behaving appropriately as children. The following quotes illustrate these points: “Abstract reasoning and adolescent rebellion are typical types of adolescent behavior... they are a normal part of psychosocial development.” (“Adolescent Development," from Youth.gov) “...children who are unable to express themselves well may be more likely to have aggressive behavior or temper tantrums.” (“School-age Children Development: Well Child ages 6-12” from Mountsinai.org) “Kids with  ADHD have a hard time controlling their impulses and tend to grab things ... They also find it hard to wait their turn and frequently interrupt others. ...When these struggles cause disruptive behavior, it’s often misunderstood as defiance. If your child mostly acts out in school, they could have an undiagnosed learning disorder. They might lash out or refuse to follow directions because they’re frustrated by schoolwork. Or they might be trying to hide their struggles by getting teachers to focus on their behavior instead.” (“Disruptive Behavior: Why It’s Often Misdiagnosed - Tantrums and defiance may mask issues that aren't apparent to teachers and parents” from Childmind.org) Finally, the “3-Strikes” VA HB 1461 is modeled on 3-Strikes crime bills which have been proven to be ineffective in preventing crime and deterring criminals. Our schools need to be safe, and our staff supported, but this bill is actually endangering to children and adults in schools. To endorse this law would do immeasurable damage to our most at-risk students. Sincerely, Diane Cooper-Gould Special Education Advocate

We write to you to share our very strong opposition to Virginia House Bill 1461 - which would require the VA Department of Education to establish a uniform system of discipline for disruptive behavior. Fairfax County SEPTA opposes this bill due to the many results that will occur if it is enacted: Disproportionate class removals for students with disabilities and for Black students, as well as the intersectionality of these two populations Increased learning loss for these students as they are denied access to education Increased school-to-prison pipeline numbers This bill will mandate class removals for subjective interpretations of behavior without addressing the underlying reason for the behavior (and, therefore, not addressing how to change the behavior). It will disproportionately affect students with disabilities and Black students. We strongly oppose this legislation. Education for students with disabilities is federally mandated to be individualized. Every student is unique in their strengths and needs, and every disruptive “behavior” situation has a unique cause. Following best practices,such as Collaborative and Proactive Solutions or Positive Behavioral Interventions, staff do not respond to every disruptive situation in an identical manner. This bill would mandate uniform responses that therefore would not address individual students’ needs nor best practice responses. Per a 2022 report by the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities, “Students with disabilities are subject to inequitable discipline” and “Black students with disabilities have the highest disproportionality in exclusionary discipline and are more likely to be punished for subjective offenses, like ‘disorderly conduct’.” These student populations already are disproportionately suspended when compared to white and non-disabled peers. Additionally, per this report, Virginia has one of the highest disproportionality rates in the country for referrals to law enforcement. Fairfax County SEPTA (Special Education PTA) represents the over 30,000 FCPS students receiving special education services, the staff and families who support them. Each of these students is an individual, with their own unique story. We are not just numbers on a page.


The proposed VA HB 1461 is unequivocally ableist and racist.  It will disproportionately affect students with disabilities, students of color, male students and students who have experienced trauma.  The bill will put neurodivergent students at great risk including Autistic students, those with ADHD, those with communication disorders and others with various specific learning and developmental disabilities.  

 In August 2022, the US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights published a report showing students with disabilities, males and Black students are disproportionately disciplined by schools. In Fairfax County, students with disabilities and Black students are 3-4 times more likely to be disciplined than those without disabilities.  

It may seem “reasonable” on the surface that “violent” disruptive behavior would cause a child to be removed from the classroom, however behaviors as mild as ripping papers, shouting, or throwing a toy have all been deemed “violent” by school staff. The language of the bill is so vague and subjective as to allow school staff an extremely wide berth in defining both violent and non-violent “disruptive” behavior. This subjectivity will result in inconsistent implementation of this law. The law itself flies in the face of expected and healthy child development.  Children are EXPECTED to be somewhat disruptive.  It is developmentally appropriate for children not to know or understand social rules during early development, and developmentally appropriate for tweens and older teens to rebel against those rules. Part of learning (and schooling) is to teach students expected social behavior and to help students manage and navigate conflict and difficult periods of development.   If we punish students harshly and without nuance for expected biological behavior we are creating a law that punishes them for being human and behaving appropriately as children.   The following quotes help to illustrate these points: 


 1. “Abstract reasoning and adolescent rebellion are typical types of adolescent behavior. .. they are a normal part of psychosocial development. ”  (“Adolescent Development," from Youth.gov)


 2. “... children who are unable to express themselves well may be more likely to have aggressive behavior or temper tantrums.” (“School-age Children Development: Well Child ages 6-12” from Mountsinai.org)


 3. “Kids with  ADHD have a hard time controlling their impulses and tend to grab things ..They also find it hard to wait their turn and frequently interrupt others. Plus, they have a hard time focusing ...When these struggles cause disruptive behavior, it’s often misunderstood as defiance...
If your child mostly acts out in school, they could have an undiagnosed learning disorder. ” (“Disruptive Behavior: Why It’s Often Misdiagnosed - Tantrums and defiance may mask issues that aren't apparent to teachers and parents” from Childmind.org)  Finally, the “3-Strikes” VA HB 1461 is modeled on 3-Strikes crime bills which have been proven to be ineffective in preventing crime and deterring criminals.  In fact, according to the ACLU, 3-Strikes laws may actually increase the likelihood of violence against those in authority.   Diane Cooper-Gould Advocacy Co-Chair, Past President and Co-Founder Fairfax County Special Education PTA Special Education Advocate

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

I strongly oppose the Virginia Board of Education supplying pornography to any school system in the state. Those individuals including county, school, superintendents, librarians, school administrator and teachers.must know they are breaking VA State code(s) on the distribution of child pornography . Clearly, it ‘ is against the law, and they must resign and face criminal prosecution.

SUPPORT

HB 1448 - We need model policies. HB1461 - Equitable: all treated the same. HB 1475 - Parents pay for public schools, kids should get the benefit even if homeschooled, no taxation without representation type of idea. HB1657 - Very workable. HB1903 - Local schools have materials split by schools. Have 3 kids in different schools, parents work, this is impossible to keep up with. This will make things easier for parents.

I am absolutely opposed to HB1461, which would infringe on local control of school boards to adopt their own policies. Disciplinary guidelines should be drafted and implemented by experts and teachers, not politicians in Richmond.

As a tax payer, I support this bill. Uniform disciplinary standards for students in public ensures all students are treated equally throughout the state. Standards should be set so as to deter such behavior and eliminate such distractions from the classroom. Such actions take away from valuable learning time in the classroom. Teachers and staff should not have to tolerate behaviors that are tolerated at home. They don't get paid enough for that.

Please support Bill #1396! So important for the children of the Commonwealth of Virginia!

This practice already exists in fairfax county public schools. Or at least it did when I was a student there. It was a disaster. It was discriminatory. Students started seeing me as an easy bully target because of it. I nearly took my own life. We don’t need to pour gasoline on the fire. Please stop this bill now!

• Disruptive behaviors are most often stress responses, that is, they are behaviors that occur in response to a triggering of the brain’s unconscious “threat detection” center. Strss behaviors are not choices, they are not intentional misbehavior. The solution needs to occur before the threat detection center is triggered. • Behavior is a signal. When a child persistently engages in distressed behavior, the adults aren’t understanding the signal. What we should be saying to children exhibiting distress isn’t, “GET OUT”, but rather “What’s wrong?” And “how can we make your pain stop?” • Removing students from classes is purely punitive; it is not corrective or preventative. It may quiet the classroom temporarily, but it increases the stress level of the class. It deprives the struggling child from the opportunity to learn and from the support of the school community. Punishment is not the answer. Increasing the “felt safety” of each child is the answer. This occurs through warm, compassionate relationships. • Three strikes policies fail to support struggling students, they do not address root causes and they do not serve as a deterrent for children in classrooms. Years of experience in the criminal justice system have demonstrated the ineffectiveness of such policies. • This bill is counter to the Governor’s proposal to increase mental health support for students. • Students with disabilities and neurodifferences including ADHD, autism, mental health challenges, and trauma are the most vulnerable, the most likely to have heightened sensitivity of their brains’ threat detection center, and thus the most likely to be negatively impacted by such a law. Exemptions for disabled students won’t protect those who are not yet diagnosed. Since Black children are diagnosed, on average, 3 years later than white children, this would disproportionately impact Black children. Disabilities and known diagnoses are not the only factors that result in high stress and subsequent stress responses. Non disability related factors include poverty, domestic violence, sexual abuse, parents divorcing, and the death of parent/sibling/grandparent. • We know these things now in 2023. We don’t have to resort to drastic strategies that do not work. There are a variety of successful approaches that (1) recognize the signs of stress and reframe the behavior of the child, (2) recognize the source(s) of the stress (3), reduce the stress, (4) help the student learn what it feels like to experience calm, and (5) help the child restore energy – restore their body’s homeostatic processes, so they are able to access the cognitive part of their brain.

Please VOTE NO on HB1461. This bill requires the Department of Education to create a uniform system of discipline for disruptive behavior in schools. Exemptions for disabled students won’t protect those who are not yet diagnosed. Local school districts should control how they manage students and no one-systemic approach can anticipate the needs of all children. This bill revisits the criminalization of behavior that Virginia was beginning to turn away from. Please Vote No on HB1461.

First: HB 1461: Uniform System of Discipline for Disruptive Behavior -- Standards are important. However, please Vote NO on this bill. More work is needed to define the behaviors that are considered disruptive that would merit 3 strikes and you are out. Equally important, modify the bill to allocate resources ($ and training and staff) to ASSIST needy "disruptive" students and their families (including those with ADHD) rather than EXCLUDING them. Second: HB 1497: Fair Pay -- Please vote YES. It is an embarassment that VA teachers are so poorly compensated.

I don’t care that these bills are not listed here. This needs to be heard. For Bill 1707 and 2432. A bill that outs queer students to their families forcibly is one of the most dangerous, absurd bill propositions I’ve ever seen. This bill has no regard for the safety of queer children and instead prioritizes parents without any sort of understanding of what life is like for queer people and how often being outed leads to queer children being kicked out, abandoned, injured, and even killed by bigoted family members. It is disgusting to see my government propose a bill like this. A government which passes this bill cannot claim to care for its citizens- it only cares about furthering an anti-queer agenda and a bigoted belief system which is based on nothing. To force children into being outed by their school systems is incredibly disgusting and dangerous. If passed, I believe firmly that that teen mental health will decline and suicide rates will spike, kids will be forced onto the streets- either by their own families or running away, and life for queer youth will become exponentially harder than it already is. The government should be helping its young people, not prioritizing bigoted anti queer views for the older generations. This is disgusting, ineffective, and horrifying to see.

Stop attacking these families and their kids. Gender dysphoria is real, and these children need to be accepted and supported. Their classmates need to learn to accept and be kind to those who are not exactly like they are (so when they grow up, we don't continue to have to deal with the ignorance and cruelty we see here today). Everyone deserves to be who they want to be, this is America, right?

VPEP Supports this proposal. Competitive teacher pay will help draw quality educators to this state from states who do not value Public Education. Failure to pass this will result in a potential drain of teaching talent to states that value educators.

1454 - are you serious? Anyone who remotely values having an educated society will oppose 1454. Good Lord. 2170 is also utterly ridiculous. I OPPOSE 2170, of course. This undermines students' ability to explore their extracurricular interests in the school setting. 1707 and 2432 - I OPPOSE these. These bills would threaten the safety of trans students. 1803 - I OPPOSE this. People need to trust educators to do their jobs, and not impose their beliefs on public schools. I SUPPORT 1497 and 1566. It is disgraceful how educators are treated in this country, and these bills would begin to rectify that. Thank you, Delegates Convirs-Fowler and Rasoul. I support 2388 and 2439. I SUPPORT 2177 as a foreign language teacher. I just wish more bills promoting foreign language education could be on the agenda.

I am 100% in support of this bill. I have seen first hand the problems in my school. Teachers in the Commonwealth of Virginia aren't paid enough for their hard work, dedication, and passion when it comes to teaching the youth. At my school, last year we went through 5 or more teachers in the span of a year, and even though 5 doesn't seem like a big number, it is a huge number for the students who rely on educators every single day, not only for academics but for so much more. Teachers deserve so much more respect than we give them and they deserve to be paid a fair amount for everything that they do. Teachers do so much and yet receive so little, and it really isn't fair to not properly pay the people who educate and help the youth of the commonwealth. I hope that you will all vote in favor of this bill, because we have to get our teachers the pay they deserve.

Comments Document

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

Good afternoon, Chairman & Committee members. My name is Vernon Peters and I am here representing Virginia Professional Educators (VPE). The Commonwealth of Virginia continues to have difficulty to attract new teachers to the education profession, but also to retain teachers, There are several factors that contribute to this, however, pay and benefits continue to be one of the major factors. New teachers are not entering the profession because of low pay and high student loan debit. Experienced teachers are leaving in order to take care of their families. For example, several members of our organization left the classroom to become truck drivers. By doing so they nearly doubled their annual salaries, Therefore, we strongly support HB1497 and any Bill that would help to increase pay and benefits for our Professional Educators.

HB1461 - This proposal is fair to all. HB1497 - Too expensive, major cities like Chesapeake/VB/Norfolk taxpayers can't afford more taxes to pay teachers. We need to pay for bus drivers. Get rid of 1/2 the administrative bloat, then you would have more $$$ to pay teachers, nurses and bus drivers. HB1507 - This is the main driver of the elections: constitutionally protect parent control. HB1691 - This would help with SRO's and given the fights in schools, is desparately needed. Please move to report. HB1704 - Needed now, given the rapes in LCPS. HB1733 - Not needed, they already can and do this. HB2021 - Always love to see parents provided with information. HB2264 - No more mission creep. Educate the kids: leave the psych stuff to another groups w/that focus. HB2405 - Excellent suggestion!

Please support HB 1497 and HB 1566. I took early retirement from Chesterfield Schools at the end of the ’20-’21 school year. Since that time I have seen countless friends and colleagues leave the profession at increasing rates whether they are retirement age or not. They have become scapegoats for Conservative “Parents’ Rights” movements fomented by national “think tanks’ and campaigns to stir up voters of a certain political bent. Daily job requirements and administrative asks have multiplied to the point that classroom teachers find themselves spending inordinate amounts of time documenting instead of helping and instructing students. Post-pandemic student needs and a dearth of resources mean there are more behavioral needs and challenges than ever before. While all of this is going on, the House Education Sub-committee recently voted not to report a simple Bill that would have guaranteed the most harried educators of all, our elementary teachers, a 30 minute unencumbered lunch. Most notable of all, the first action of our new Governor was to declare war on public education with 2 Executive Orders, one that negated current CDC guidance regarding masking at the time and another which sought to root out “inherently divisive concepts” in Virginia curricula with McCarthy-esque zeal!! Teachers earn about ¼ less than people in comparable professions, which is making it hard to attract and keep teachers and other school staff. As a result schools are short staffed. To attract teachers back to the classroom teacher pay must be increased. That is why it is important to vote for HB 1497 and HB 1566.

The average teacher pay in fxco is more than an editor at WAPO . The teacher works 195 days and the editor works 240+. It's Saturday and the editor is probably still working.

"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

Please support Bill #1396! So important for the children of the Commonwealth of Virginia!

Comments Document

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

Middle Resolution supports this bill.

HB1461 - This proposal is fair to all. HB1497 - Too expensive, major cities like Chesapeake/VB/Norfolk taxpayers can't afford more taxes to pay teachers. We need to pay for bus drivers. Get rid of 1/2 the administrative bloat, then you would have more $$$ to pay teachers, nurses and bus drivers. HB1507 - This is the main driver of the elections: constitutionally protect parent control. HB1691 - This would help with SRO's and given the fights in schools, is desparately needed. Please move to report. HB1704 - Needed now, given the rapes in LCPS. HB1733 - Not needed, they already can and do this. HB2021 - Always love to see parents provided with information. HB2264 - No more mission creep. Educate the kids: leave the psych stuff to another groups w/that focus. HB2405 - Excellent suggestion!

"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

Please vote in favor of this bill. I know most parents of children are in favor of this. We brought children into this world to be raised by their parents. Thank you. Debbie Vreeland

I support HB1507, and would like to add that parents should be able to receive not only attorney costs refunded, but damages also. Many people, however cannot afford attorneys to fight the endless funds the School Boards seem to always have, with lawyers at their disposal using taxpayer funds against parents and/or students. This is not equality nor equity.

Chair Coyner and members of the Education Subcommittee Early Childhood Innovation: My name is Alex Nester and I’m the political director of PDE Action. We are a nonpartisan organization working to reclaim schools from divisive political activism through policy reform. Parental rights in public education is one of our top issues, and we believe it should be a bipartisan one. And so, I am here to share my support for House Bill 1507. If the recent National Merit Scholarship story doesn't speak to the importance of legislation like House Bill 1507, then I don't know what does. Fairfax and Loudoun County decided to not tell students or parents about National Merit Scholarship Commended Student status. It is clear now that this was no clerical error, but yet another example of school officials thinking they knew what’s best for children. And yet again, they could not have made a worse decision. House Bill 1507 is aligned with Virginia's parental rights law: “A parent has a fundamental right to make decisions concerning the upbringing, education, and care of the parent’s child.” The bill would ensure that school districts are creating policies that codify and support that very simple, yet vital, statute. There are countless incidents in addition to the one noted above that speak to the necessity of House Bill 1507. For example, past model guidance for transgender students explicitly stated that schools should not be required to notify parents if a child decides to identify as the opposite sex at school. Fairfax County, Harrisonburg, Loudoun County, and other districts have adopted policies that say parents may not need to be notified if their child decides to adopt another gender identity at school. These are troubling policies, which essentially mean young people will be living a double life . This will create increased mental health issues as students struggle with keeping secrets from their parents. In the end, it is the parents, the families, that will support these young people well into adulthood--not the teachers or school administrators. Barring all judgment on modern concepts on sex, gender and gender identity, it is unconscionable that Virginia public schools have adopted policies that explicitly seek to exclude parents from these conversations. Schools have shown time and time again that they are incapable of making the right decisions for a child’s wellbeing. Yet, schools tell us that parents can’t be trusted. Parents play a lifelong role in raising their children. Teachers, administrators and counselors come and go. They do not cheer children on like their parents. They do not have a lifetime commitment to our children. Parents love unconditionally. Parents were the first to sound the alarm bells about the harmful effects that months or year-long school closures had on their children’s academic performance and mental health. But experts, teachers union top brass, and corporate media drowned them out and demanded that schools remain closed in the name of safety, long after we knew that Covid-19 did not impact children in the same way it affected the elderly. In some northern Virginia districts, those school closures lasted more than a year. Virginia parents deserve to be in the drivers’ seat when it comes to the education and upbringing of their children. House Bill 1507 is a vital piece to this puzzle. I proudly support House Bill 1507.

You do not get to choose any part in raising my children. Hands off!! We've had enough!

I write to support HB 1507. Both the U.S. Constitution and the Commonwealth of Virginia Constitution clearly support parental rights. It is time the local School Boards and all Virginia educational policies support those rights of parents by providing complete transparency and making available to parents all curricular, counseling, and policy changes that are implemented. It is this lack transparency that has led to the confusion and obfuscation of parental access and caused much of the confusion and distrust on the part of parents. This clearly written bill will end this problem. Please pass HB 1507.

I support this bill 100% and this bill is detrimental to insuring parental rights will not be trampled upon any more and that the parent and only the parent will parent their child's social-emotional well-being and lifestyles that align with their children's and parents' beliefs and helps hold officials accountable for any violations. Parents do not need the government as co-parents to their children. This bill will "Provide opportunities for parental involvement in several ways, including providing parents of students enrolled in the local school division direct access to and an opportunity to review, upon request, the complete curricular content in the local school division and the option to opt out of policies, surveys, research studies, or programs of instruction that are inconsistent with the parent's beliefs, values, or goals and standards for his child." I support this bill 100% as written and must go through.

I support this bill 100% and this bill is detrimental to insuring parental rights will not be trampled upon any more and that the parent and only the parent will parent their child's social-emotional well-being and lifestyles that align with their children's and parents' beliefs and helos hold officials accountable for any violations. Parents do not need the government as co-parents the government. This bill will "Provide opportunities for parental involvement in several ways, including providing parents of students enrolled in the local school division direct access to and an opportunity to review, upon request, the complete curricular content in the local school division and the option to opt out of policies, surveys, research studies, or programs of instruction that are inconsistent with the parent's beliefs, values, or goals and standards for his child." I support this bill 100% as written and must go through.

HB1507: I support the constitutional rights of parents to direct childrens' education. HB1575: I support Delegate Walkers SWAT bill. HB2269: I support using these pandemic relief funds for schools.

Edu-Futuro’s mission is to break the cycle of poverty in immigrant communities largely through educational support. Our beneficiaries come from fully 61 different countries of origin, and most of our beneficiaries are English language learners. By incentivizing the acquisition of an endorsement in English as a Second Language instruction, HB 1824 will necessarily improve the staff to student ratio for ELLs. To that end, Edu-Futuro wholeheartedly supports Delegate Avoli’s HB 1824. I also support this bill as a private citizen and second generation immigrant myself, and I am very pleased to see that on the Senate side, my own Senator, Jennifer Boysko, is this bill’s chief co-patron. I also want to express my support in my personal capacity as a former public school teacher for Delegate Simonds’ HB 1696. Thank you.

These bills are so important to the family, to our children. Please pass these bills!

I fully support this bill.

Please support Bill #1396! So important for the children of the Commonwealth of Virginia!

I fully support this bill.

I fully support this bill.

HB1461 - This proposal is fair to all. HB1497 - Too expensive, major cities like Chesapeake/VB/Norfolk taxpayers can't afford more taxes to pay teachers. We need to pay for bus drivers. Get rid of 1/2 the administrative bloat, then you would have more $$$ to pay teachers, nurses and bus drivers. HB1507 - This is the main driver of the elections: constitutionally protect parent control. HB1691 - This would help with SRO's and given the fights in schools, is desparately needed. Please move to report. HB1704 - Needed now, given the rapes in LCPS. HB1733 - Not needed, they already can and do this. HB2021 - Always love to see parents provided with information. HB2264 - No more mission creep. Educate the kids: leave the psych stuff to another groups w/that focus. HB2405 - Excellent suggestion!

"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

HB1461 - This proposal is fair to all. HB1497 - Too expensive, major cities like Chesapeake/VB/Norfolk taxpayers can't afford more taxes to pay teachers. We need to pay for bus drivers. Get rid of 1/2 the administrative bloat, then you would have more $$$ to pay teachers, nurses and bus drivers. HB1507 - This is the main driver of the elections: constitutionally protect parent control. HB1691 - This would help with SRO's and given the fights in schools, is desparately needed. Please move to report. HB1704 - Needed now, given the rapes in LCPS. HB1733 - Not needed, they already can and do this. HB2021 - Always love to see parents provided with information. HB2264 - No more mission creep. Educate the kids: leave the psych stuff to another groups w/that focus. HB2405 - Excellent suggestion!

"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

HB1461 - This proposal is fair to all. HB1497 - Too expensive, major cities like Chesapeake/VB/Norfolk taxpayers can't afford more taxes to pay teachers. We need to pay for bus drivers. Get rid of 1/2 the administrative bloat, then you would have more $$$ to pay teachers, nurses and bus drivers. HB1507 - This is the main driver of the elections: constitutionally protect parent control. HB1691 - This would help with SRO's and given the fights in schools, is desparately needed. Please move to report. HB1704 - Needed now, given the rapes in LCPS. HB1733 - Not needed, they already can and do this. HB2021 - Always love to see parents provided with information. HB2264 - No more mission creep. Educate the kids: leave the psych stuff to another groups w/that focus. HB2405 - Excellent suggestion!

"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 strongly oppose the Virginia Board of Education supplying pornography to any school system in the state. Those individuals including county, school, superintendents, librarians, school administrator and teachers.must know they are breaking VA State code(s) on the distribution of child pornography . Clearly, it ‘ is against the law, and they must resign and face criminal prosecution.

HB: 1556 k-9 detection team setting dogs loos on children, studies show that dogs can attack when they sense fear (walking dog behavior.com) (BCA animal hospital) . $50,000.00+ price tag! And this doesn’t include housing food. Not included in the cost is the direct cost of the trainer and law enforce t personal. Where will the funding come from?! The children will become scapegoats, unwarranted CPS cases, what schools will be targeted. Canines can be trained to be anti black (the Marshall project june 23, 2021. This brings an uncomfortable sense of Birmingham, Alabama. A VAST amount of students would benefit from mentors rather than a K-9 unit. As Chesterfield county has the MEGA MENTORS PROGRAM which has been successful. thus will be helpful to allow parents into schools rather than K-9 units HB 1695: Public high school Career Coach the following amendments should be implemented to this Bill. there should be no less than 3 staffed job coaches, collaboration with parents , school counselors, SPED COORDINATORS , apart of the IEP team, expanded to 7th grade, HB1696: teacher lunch : in order for myself to support this bill these are the questions I have. where will the additional staff be obtained while the teachers take their breaks? Has the teacher shown that they have provided direct substantive support to their students/families , attended and provided support during iep meetings. HB 1733 I do not support this bill the student shall be allowed to speak by simply providing their first and last name, grade and school name. Either verbally and or writing their name on the sign up sheet. (Assistance shall be provided by parent or caregiver) ( if needed.) the student may not have access to signing up online.

Chair Avoli and members of the House K-12 Subcommittee, On behalf of Equality Virginia, the Commonwealth's leading LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, I submit the following written comment on bills being heard this morning: - Please oppose HB 1379 (Anderson) and HB 1448 (Orrock). - Please support HB 1592 (Davis) and HB 1733 (VanValkenburg). Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Narissa Rahaman (she/her) Executive Director Equality Virginia

We strongly support HB 1733. HB 1733 allows for enrolled students to participate in school board meetings through the public comments section, provided they sign up 12 hours in advance or are physically present at the school board. HB 1733 recognizes that civic engagement among students is limited: data from Tufts University' Circle Program suggests, for example, that in 2018, only 8.4% of youth in the Commonwealth contacted public officials to express their opinions. Yet, various school boards have implemented onerous processes that make it difficult for students to participate and share special insight on the day-to-day operations of the Commonwealth's schools. Some school districts, like Louisa County, post no information about how to testify, while others, like Fairfax County, have employed lottery systems that fail to notify students about when they were selected to comment. HB 1733 simplifies the system by allowing students who demonstrate civic interest to participate in our systems.

Letting students be aware of the opportunities they are given to become involved in the school board meetings will empower students not only this generation but the next generation about the impact they have to change and speak about decisions that will change the school experience for this generation and each that follow it. Additionally, it would allow more students to get involved and become educated about what happens in the school board meetings. Hopefully this would bring more power to students instead of letting people who are not currently in high school, govern what changes occurs for those in high school. The sexual harassment prevention training module will warn the predators, teachers, administrators, and principals who are allowing sexual-harassment to continue among the student body of what they are allowing to continue and the justice that will come. With this module, students can be aware of the rights that protect them and what they can do to prevent sexual harassment.

As a student, I support these bills. HB1560 - It is very important that all students know how to handle these situations. I know that having this information would have benefitted many students in the past years. HB1657 - As a student of color, I think diversity in these STEM schools needs to be encouraged. It would help positively impact me and many other students. HB1733 - With so many bills affecting students these days, it is so important that the people being affected get to have their voices heard. As a student, I should be allowed to speak on behalf of my education.

I, as a student, support these bills. These are much needed bills, and I fully support the implementation.

As a highschool student, I agree with these bills. I believe it is important for other students and school staff to fully understand sexual harassment and for oppressed communities to be anle to see themselves in the STEM board. I also believe it is important for students to be able to have say in what they think is fair during school board meetings. Without these three bills being passed there's more room for discrimination, bullying, and harassment. There is no reason to not pass any of these bills. Sincerely, Mr. Fowler.

As a student, I support these bills and think they would help all students at my school.

As a student, I support these bills! The well being and safety of students is incredibly important, which these bills will support! Please take into account student safety, as bill HB1560 promotes this. Also please listen to student voices!!!

Hello, I am a high school student in Virginia, and I support HB 1733. I have signed up to testify in front of my School Board six times. I have only been accepted twice, and out of those two times, only once was my testimony even presented at the meeting. Oftentimes my voice gets drowned out by parents and other community members who are important, of course, but this is my education. If I am the one in school, and I am seeing what is happening, why do I not get a say? School Board testimonies and public comments are the most influential way to get my School Board to listen to me and what I have to say. When there were administrators making hateful comments at my school, I was not able to speak. When the Board was passing a provision on sexual education reforms to a curriculum I had been taught, I was not able to speak. During my county's Superintendent Approval Process, I was able to submit a video testimony, only for it not to be shown at the meeting without any given reason. No student should be silenced on the issues that affect them directly. With HB 1733, this can end, and students can use the voices our schools teach them to use. I hope you will take this into consideration, and make the decision that will benefit those the education system seeks to serve: the students. Thank you.

"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

My name is Johanna Villalobos and I have served my country as a Foreign Service Officer for the last seventeen years. During this time my husband and I have become parents to three children. Our family has had the opportunity to meet new people, experience different cultures, and learn new languages while representing the people of the United States as diplomats abroad. These amazing experiences have been coupled with sacrifices and challenges. Among them are constantly changing schools from one country to another, not growing up with a traditional U.S. education, and our children not understanding the reality of their peers in the United States. My oldest son, Jonathan, is fourteen years old. He has been to eight different schools since Kindergarten, his one and only U.S. educational experience. Our return to the United States after ten years overseas required a great deal of planning and preparation. We researched school options for our kids and became extremely excited when we learned about the Virginia Governor's School Thomas Jefferson High School for Jonathan as he would be able to pursue his passion for science and technology in a nurturing and supportive environment. Thomas Jefferson High School would have been the perfect place for him to get the rigorous academic curriculum necessary to excel at the university level. Starting in the sixth grade, Jonathan knew he had to be extremely competitive to be considered for Thomas Jefferson. He worked hard and achieved excellent grades, especially in science and math classes. In eighth grade, his international school did not offer Algebra at that grade level, but because it was a requirement for Thomas Jefferson he took both his school´s math class and Algebra through an online U.S. based high school (at our expense). He completed the class successfully and was able to join the tenth graders in Geometry during ninth grade, another Thomas Jefferson requirement. Jonathan put in the work, excelled in school, and met the eligibility requirements necessary to be considered for admission at the Governor's School. That is with one major exception through no fault of his own, he was not resident in the school district at the time of application. He will be in the school district when the school year begins as I have been stationed in Washington, DC. However, my family can not count on the considerations given to military colleagues for our service to the people of the United States. The school discouraged us from even applying because there was no way around this requirement. My son's academic dreams and his hard work were completely disregarded when he was told he could not even try to compete for admission. I urge the Virginia State Senate to consider its constituents who sacrifice everything to serve our country as diplomats. Our families leave behind all we have ever known to live in far away and sometimes dangerous places, but when we return home our service is not recognized and our children are penalized for something completely out of their control. Please pass House Bill 1929. Our children's future depends on it.

Comments Document

AFSA urges the Virginia General Assembly to consider its constituents who sacrifice everything to serve our country as diplomats. Foreign Service families leave behind all they have ever known to live in far away and sometimes dangerous places, but when they return home, their service is not recognized, and their children are penalized for something completely out of their control. Please support and pass House Bill 1929.

My name is Anne Benjaminson and I have served as a Foreign Service Officer for more than 18 years. For the last 11 years, our two children have accompanied my husband and I on our overseas tours, living and attending school in Ukraine, Burma, and, starting this summer, Vietnam. While they have gained a deep understanding of other cultures and languages, our frequent moves have disrupted their friendships and required a lot of flexibility, something I appreciate deeply. With the goal of providing our children some stability and educational opportunity as they enter their teenage years, we purchased a house in Arlington in 2019. Along with the excellent schools in our own school district, we looked forward to giving our children the opportunity to compete for admission to a Virginia Governor’s School located just 11 miles from our home, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. We specifically sought out an assignment that would allow us to return to Arlington in time for our son to start 9th grade so that he could attend all four years of high school here. However, I was disappointed to learn that our son will be unable to apply to our nearby Governor’s School for 9th grade, as he will be attending an international school overseas for 8th grade. He was even more disappointed and has a hard time understanding how he would not be eligible to apply even though he attended four years of elementary school here and will be back for high school – all while we own our home and pay local property and income taxes. In all of our overseas assignments, which include Afghanistan, we have served alongside members of the U.S. military whose children are eligible to apply for admission to Governor’s Schools from overseas. We salute the service of our military colleagues. By passing HB 1929, the Legislature has an opportunity to acknowledge the service of civilian employees and the hardships such service causes for their family members. Allowing our children to compete for admission to Virginia Governor’s Schools is a step toward parity with our military colleagues, and will make Virginia a more desirable and welcoming permanent residence for Foreign Service personnel. I thank the Committee for your consideration of this bill and urge its quick passage so that our children can begin to seek the same educational opportunities as their peers. The views expressed here are my own and are not necessarily those of the U.S. Government.

"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 providing free lunch for all school students. This is done in some school district areas but not in some. In this economy, food and gas prices have put many families in dire straights. Putting more money in their pockets would help a great deal. Please consider passing this measure. I give it my full support.

Please support this bill. Students cannot learn if they are hungry. They need proper nutrition as children to develop into healthy, contributing community members as adults.

Food is not a luxury, please allow all students to be full and ready to learn

I believe this bill is necessary! We have students across the Commonwealth attending school without the necessary nutrition to foster a health learning environment. 500,000 students rely on free or reduced meals, but when students apply for these programs, there is sometimes judgment from peers to the point where students would rather go hungry. Free breakfast and lunch would remove this stigma and provide an equal opportunity to every student. My daughter attends a Title I school where there is free breakfast and lunch currently, but no guarantee that it will continue. The difference in the behavior of the students along with the rise in testing scores is proof enough that free meals make a long-term difference in a school community.

As a public school teacher in Virginia for the past 18 years, I can attest that students feel and learn their best when they are not hungry, and when they are not worried when/if they will have their next meal. For 8 years I worked in schools that were in food deserts. The students came from high poverty, low-income families who did not have access to nutritious foods and groceries. Breakfast and lunch at school were the only meals that they could rely on, and that was only if they weren't behind on their reduced lunch payments. I truly believe Bill 1967 would be beneficial to ALL students. Universal free school meals just make sense for all children. It assures ALL students get two nutritiuos meals a day. It also reduces the stignma of those who qualify for "free or reduced" lunches, and it increases school meal participation. I am currently a specialist in Virginia Beach City Public Schools. VBCPS has introduced the scratch cooking program the last several years, and I am amazed at the hard work and dedication of this program. The Offices of Food Services focus on making meals from scratch and using local ingredients when they can. Free access to this program would not only benefit the participation in the program, but it would help to assure that all students were getting nutritious, scatch-cooked meals . Having at least two healthy meals at school would help students' overall health and concentration at school.

I would love to see a universal free lunch for children. I know not everyone can afford to provide Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner for their child. Children should not go hungry because their parent or guardian is struggling to afford a good meal. Please approve this bill.

Every kid shouldn’t be left hungry. We fight so hard for other countries to be fed. But what about the kids here. Everyone’s situation is different and it is not fair that a child who has no concept of making money to feed themself has to be penalized and not fed. Please feed our children.

I support this

Please approve HR 1967 to provide universal free meals for all children and teens in public schools in Virginia. Hungry children cannot learn. Even though many local charities help, there are so many food insecure families that this must be funded by the state.

Good afternoon Mr. Chair and Members of the House Education K-12 Subcommittee: My name is Justine Blincoe, I am the Policy Director of Greater Richmond Fit4Kids, a Richmond, VA-based nonprofit organization, . We partner with local school districts in the Richmond region, including Chesterfield, Henrico, Hopewell, Petersburg, and Richmond, offering innovative programs that promote physical activity and healthy eating in schools. Please vote yes when HB 1967 comes to you for a vote today. There are many benefits to providing free school meals for all, including increasing food access and nutrition for all students, while eliminating school lunch debt stigma and reducing administrative burden for cafeteria staff. Thank you for your time and consideration regarding this bill.

I am writing on behalf of the Neighborhood Resource Center, a cultural education center in the east end of the City of Richmond that provides resources to our neighbors in the form of education, nutrition, and community organizing. We have a USDA meals program for CACFP and SFSP that is supported by the VDOE School Nutrition Program. We cook meals and deliver them to after school programs and in the summer to apartments and other sites where youth need access to food. We were one of only 14 organizations selected in the US by USDA to receive a Gold "Turnip the Beet" award for our summer food service program. We run our nutrition program to prevent youth from being hungry and over the course of the pandemic we've seen access to food for children expand as a result of free meals through schools. We step in for the after school hours to be sure that children get supper, but there are many children that are not enrolled in after school programs. We know that now some children are going without breakfast or lunch because their parents or caregiver cannot afford to provide consistent food for them. Expansion of free meals strengthens our most vulnerable youth and families and without this change creates significant debt for families. We know this well because we also provide free financial coaching and we see the impact of debt on entire households. This is why we write in support of HB 1967 from Delegate Mullin. Please demonstrate your support for free breakfast and lunch for all children in Virginia by supporting HB 1967.

Hello I am Nichole Wescott-Hayes representing the American Heart Association. The AHA is a volunteer lead non profit organization with over 3 million volunteers across the country all working to be a relentless force for a world of longer healthier lives. As part of our work we support efforts towards universal school meals for all children enrolled in public schools as part of our work to end food insecurity. Ensuring all children get two free meals every school day is part of giving them the tools necessary to succeed. These programs also remove the stigma felt by both the students and families who may have fallen on hard times but hate having to ask for help. Finally these programs remove the administrative burden from the school for collecting, reviewing, verifying, and storing the information collected currently to determine if a student is eligible for a free or reduced meals. Our administrators have enough on their plate, this is one thing that can be easily removed so they can continue about the business of educating our students. For these reasons among others, the American Heart Association is in support of House Bill 1967.

Comments Document

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

HB 1967 - It is crucial that there be no financial barriers to children getting meals in schools. Thank you for supporting Virginia's children.

"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

Dear Legislators, On behalf of our volunteers and members, the Virginia Black Leadership Organizing Collaborative strongly supports HB 2021 and HB 2025, both introduced by Del. Roem. Our volunteers and members have fought hard for equitable school meal policies for our communities, and more importantly, our children, for years and the passage of these bills will bring us all closer to those goals. We know that access is key to getting families the help they deserve. If a family is in need of help that the school system provides, then the school board should make every effort to get that information to the parents and guardians of school age children. This becomes even more important when we are talking about providing children with quality and nutritional meals during the school days. Many studies have shown that children learn and behave markedly better when they are not hungry during the day. Information should and must be readily available to those who need it most. Thus, we support HB 2021 and HB 2025 because they take further steps to ensure that not only free & reduced meal applications are readily accessible, but HB 2025 also takes the extra step in providing that parents of students in public schools would be fully informed on updated SNAP benefits and eligibility guidelines. Let’s continue building upon the efforts that you all have made in the general assembly with the community in ending childhood hunger. Please, vote ‘YES’ on HB 2021 and HB 2025.Thank you so much for your consideration, hard work, and service to the Commonwealth. Sincerely, VA BLOC

Virginia PTA supports HB2021 (Roem). Proper nutrition is imperative to the health, development and academic achievement of children. We support efforts to make certain that parents are provided with information and resources, including expanded access to the Free and Reduced Meal Application.

HB1461 - This proposal is fair to all. HB1497 - Too expensive, major cities like Chesapeake/VB/Norfolk taxpayers can't afford more taxes to pay teachers. We need to pay for bus drivers. Get rid of 1/2 the administrative bloat, then you would have more $$$ to pay teachers, nurses and bus drivers. HB1507 - This is the main driver of the elections: constitutionally protect parent control. HB1691 - This would help with SRO's and given the fights in schools, is desparately needed. Please move to report. HB1704 - Needed now, given the rapes in LCPS. HB1733 - Not needed, they already can and do this. HB2021 - Always love to see parents provided with information. HB2264 - No more mission creep. Educate the kids: leave the psych stuff to another groups w/that focus. HB2405 - Excellent suggestion!

Virginia PTA supports HB2225 (Batten). Assessments can only provide valuable information if students, parents, and teachers receive that feedback in a timely manner. We support improving communications to students and parents regarding how to leverage growth assessments; the context of any score; and the impact of the assessment results on student future growth and achievement.

"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

Full support

HB1461 - This proposal is fair to all. HB1497 - Too expensive, major cities like Chesapeake/VB/Norfolk taxpayers can't afford more taxes to pay teachers. We need to pay for bus drivers. Get rid of 1/2 the administrative bloat, then you would have more $$$ to pay teachers, nurses and bus drivers. HB1507 - This is the main driver of the elections: constitutionally protect parent control. HB1691 - This would help with SRO's and given the fights in schools, is desparately needed. Please move to report. HB1704 - Needed now, given the rapes in LCPS. HB1733 - Not needed, they already can and do this. HB2021 - Always love to see parents provided with information. HB2264 - No more mission creep. Educate the kids: leave the psych stuff to another groups w/that focus. HB2405 - Excellent suggestion!

"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

HB1461 - This proposal is fair to all. HB1497 - Too expensive, major cities like Chesapeake/VB/Norfolk taxpayers can't afford more taxes to pay teachers. We need to pay for bus drivers. Get rid of 1/2 the administrative bloat, then you would have more $$$ to pay teachers, nurses and bus drivers. HB1507 - This is the main driver of the elections: constitutionally protect parent control. HB1691 - This would help with SRO's and given the fights in schools, is desparately needed. Please move to report. HB1704 - Needed now, given the rapes in LCPS. HB1733 - Not needed, they already can and do this. HB2021 - Always love to see parents provided with information. HB2264 - No more mission creep. Educate the kids: leave the psych stuff to another groups w/that focus. HB2405 - Excellent suggestion!

"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