Requires local school boards to provide (i) a minimum of 680 hours of instructional time to students in elementary, except for students in half-day kindergarten, in the four academic disciplines of English, mathematics, science, and history and social science and (ii) a minimum of 375 hours of instructional time to students in half-day kindergarten in the four academic disciplines of English, mathematics, science, and history and social science. The bill authorizes local school boards to include and requires the Board of Education to accept, elementary school, unstructured recreational time that is intended to develop teamwork, social skills, and overall physical fitness in any calculation of total instructional time or teaching hours.
Sponsored bills
Establishes a floor on the 2.1 percent sales tax imposed on motor vehicle fuels sold in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. The average distributor price of gasoline, as determined by the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles, on June 1, 2018, shall be the initial floor. If the average distributor price rises in future determinations, the new higher average will become the floor, until such time as the average distributor price of gasoline is determined to be equal to or greater than the average wholesale price of gasoline in the Commonwealth on February 20, 2013, which is the date of the floor used for the calculation of the state gasoline tax. After this threshold is met, the average distributor price used for the calculation of the regional tax will be the same as the average price used to calculate the state tax.
Reduces the maximum length of a long-term suspension from 364 calendar days to 45 school days. The bill permits a long-term suspension to extend beyond a 45-school-day period, not to exceed 364 calendar days, if (i) the offense involves weapons, drugs, or serious bodily injury or (ii) the school board or division superintendent or his designee finds that aggravating circumstances exist, as defined by the Department of Education. The bill requires the Department of Education's definition of aggravating circumstances to include consideration of a student's disciplinary history.
Requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue driver's licenses, permits, and identification cards displaying an indicator signifying that the holder is a veteran, provided that the applicant requests such indicator and provides proof of veteran status. The bill repeals the authority of the Department to issue veterans identification cards.