Schools; athletics; participation in female sports; civil cause of action. Requires each elementary or secondary school or a private school that competes in sponsored athletic events against such public schools to designate athletic teams, whether a school athletic team or an intramural team sponsored by such school, based on biological sex as follows: (i) "males," "men," or "boys"; (ii) "females," "women," or "girls"; or (iii) "coed" or "mixed." Under the bill, male students are not permitted to participate on any school athletic team or squad designated for "females," "women," or "girls"; however, this provision does not apply to physical education classes at schools. The bill provides civil penalties for students and schools that suffer harm as a result of a violation of the bill. Such civil actions are required to be initiated within two years after the harm occurred.
Celebrating the life of Ferdinand C. Dugan III.
Treatment of transgender students; model policies.Eliminates the requirement that each school board adopt policiesthat are consistent with the model policies developed by the Departmentof Education concerning the treatment of transgender students in public elementary and secondary schools.
Public school teachers; probationary term ofservice, grounds for dismissal, and dismissal hearings. Permits each school board to extend for up to two additional years the three-yearprobationary term of service that is required for each teacher inthe school division before the issuance of a continuing contractand prohibits each school board from reemploying a teacher whoseperformance evaluation during such probationary period is not satisfactory.The bill provides that, for the purpose of the dismissal of a teacherfor cause, the term "incompetency" may be construed to include consistentfailure to meet the endorsement requirements for the position orone or more unsatisfactory performance evaluations. The bill alsoeliminates the option for a school board to conduct a teacher dismissalhearing before a three-member fact-finding panel, requires each suchhearing to be set no later than 15 days after the request for thehearing, and reduces from 10 days to five days the minimum periodof advance written notice to the teacher of the time and place ofsuch hearing.
Employers; institutions of higher education;localities; public schools; face coverings. Prohibits any locality,institution of higher education, employer, school board, divisionsuperintendent, school principal, or private school from adopting, implementing, or enforcing any policy, rule, or order related toCOVID-19 that requires individuals to wear a face covering.
Public institutions of higher education; foreign governments; programs and grants. Prohibits employees at publicinstitutions of higher education in the Commonwealth from participatingin Chinese-sponsored talent recruitment programs or receiving Chinese-fundedgrants. The bill also requires each employee at such institutionsto disclose to the Council all financial payments received from foreigngovernments.
Celebrating the life of Jameel Jalal Abed.
Public elementary and secondary schools; curriculaand instruction including inherently divisive concepts prohibited.Requires each public elementary or secondary school principalto ensure that no curriculum utilized or instruction delivered inthe school includes inherently divisive concepts, as that term isdefined in the bill, regardless of whether such curriculum or instructionis provided by a school board employee or any other individual orentity.
Virginia Attorney Disciplinary Commission; established.Establishes the Virginia Attorney Disciplinary Commission in thelegislative branch of state government for the purpose of holdingdisciplinary hearings initiated by the Virginia State Bar againstan attorney for a violation of the Virginia Rules of ProfessionalConduct or Unauthorized Practice Rules that would be the basis fora sanction to be imposed against such attorney and grants the Commissionthe power to hold issue sanctions against such attorney. The billtransfers any existing authority to discipline attorneys from theVirginia State Bar to the Commission.
Group Violence Intervention Board; Divisionof Group Violence Intervention; Project Ceasefire Grant Fund; Project Exit Grant Fund; report. Establishes the Group Violence InterventionBoard to coordinate and assist federal, state, and local group violenceintervention efforts. The bill also establishes within the Departmentof Criminal Justice Services (the Department) the Division of GroupViolence Intervention (the Division), to be headed by an executivedirector appointed by the Director of the Department. The bill providesthat the Division is responsible for (i) coordinating the effortsof members of state and local law enforcement, community members,and social services providers to combat group violence; (ii) servingas a clearinghouse for research, best practices, and strategies that may be utilized in the implementation, execution, and evaluationof group violence interventions; and (iii) implementing and administeringvarious federal, state, and local grant funds that aid group violenceintervention efforts. Finally, the bill creates the Project CeasefireGrant Fund, which provides money to organizations that are involvedin group violence intervention efforts, and creates the Project ExitGrant Fund, which provides money to organizations that assist formergang members or individuals attempting to leave gangs.
Arrest and prosecution when experiencing orreporting overdoses. Provides that an individual who is subjectto arrest or prosecution for the unlawful purchase, possession, or consumption of alcohol, possession of a controlled substance, possessionof marijuana, intoxication in public, or possession of controlledparaphernalia may be offered a first offender deferred dispositionprogram or drug treatment court docket program if such person is reporting an overdose and seeking emergency medical attention. Undercurrent law, such person would be immune from arrest and prosecution.
Certain crimes committed while participating in a riot; civil action for damages caused during a riot or unlawful assembly; affirmative defense; reduction in law-enforcement agency operating budget; penalty. Creates a civil action for damages caused during a riot or unlawful assembly if a person with the lawful authority to direct a law-enforcement agency uses that authority to prohibit law-enforcement officers from taking action that would prevent or materially mitigate significant bodily injury, death, or damage or destruction of property caused by or related to a riot or unlawful assembly. The bill also creates an affirmative defense in a civil action for wrongful death or injury to a person or property that such action arose from injury or damage sustained by a participant in furtherance of a riot. If such affirmative defense is raised, the court shall, upon the defendant's motion, stay the proceedings during the pendency of the criminal proceedings.This bill also directs that any locality that reduces the operating budget of its local law-enforcement agency shall (i) receive no appropriation in the general appropriation act for highway system maintenance and operations or for maintenance and operation of roads; (ii) receive no allocation of highway funds for roads within such locality; and (iii) receive no payments for maintenance, construction, or reconstruction of highways.The bill also makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor to (a) electronically publish another person's personal identifying information with the intent to (1) incite violence or commit a crime against such other person or (2) threaten or harass such other person in a manner as to place the person in reasonable fear of bodily harm; (b) maliciously block access to any business; (c) maliciously obstruct a highway; and (d) injure, destroy, or tamper with a conspicuously marked law-enforcement vehicle. Additionally, this bill makes it a Class 6 felony to commit an assault and battery while participating in a riot and to interfere with a conspicuously marked law-enforcement vehicle occupied by a law-enforcement officer with the intent to prevent a law-enforcement officer from performing his official duties.
