Public schools; lock-down drills; annual requirement. Reduces from three to two the minimum number of mandatory annuallock-down drills in each public elementary and secondary school inthe Commonwealth.
Virginia Jobs Investment Program and Fund; minimumwage requirements. Adjusts the minimum entry-level wage rate per hour a company is required to pay in order to be eligible forassistance under the Virginia Jobs Investment Program from at least1.35 times the federal minimum wage to 1.2 times the federal minimumwage or the Virginia minimum wage, whichever is higher.
Nurse practitioners; practice without a practice agreement. Reduces from five to two the number of years of full-time clinical experience a nurse practitioner must have to be eligible to practice without a written or electronic practice agreement. The provisions of the bill expire on July 1, 2022.
Department of Education; comprehensive reviewof computer science standards, courses, and pathways in public schools;report. Requires the Department of Education to perform a comprehensivereview of the ongoing implementation of mandatory computer sciencestandards in elementary schools and middle schools and the alignmentof middle school and high school computer science courses and coursepathways. The bill requires such review to include recommendationsfor implementation processes at the local level, profiles of implementationprocesses that have been successful for school divisions, a descriptionof opportunities for enhanced collaboration with relevant computer science stakeholders to expand computer science education opportunitiesfor all students in the Commonwealth and for relevant professionaldevelopment for teachers, and examining methods of data collectionannually from local school divisions pertaining to computer scienceimplementation. The bill requires the Department of Education toprepare a report on its comprehensive review and provide such reportto the Chairmen of the House Committee on Education and the SenateCommittee on Education and Health, the Secretary of Education, andthe Superintendent of Public Instruction no later than November 1,2021.
Teachers and other licensed school board employees;cultural competency. The bill requires teacher, principal, and division superintendent evaluations to include an evaluation ofcultural competency. The bill requires every person seeking initiallicensure or renewal of a license from the Board of Education (i)to complete instruction or training in cultural competency and (ii)with an endorsement in history and social sciences to complete instructionin African American history, as prescribed by the Board. The billalso requires each school board to adopt and implement policies that require each teacher and any other school board employee holdinga license issued by the Board to complete cultural competency training,in accordance with guidance issued by the Board, at least every twoyears.
Virginia Human Rights Acts; discrimination onthe basis of disability. Adds discrimination on the basis ofdisability as an unlawful employment practice under the VirginiaHuman Rights Act. The bill also requires employers, defined in thebill, to make reasonable accommodation to the known physical and mentalimpairments of an otherwise qualified person with a disability, ifnecessary to assist such person in performing a particular job, unlessthe employer can demonstrate that the accommodation would imposean undue hardship on the employer. The bill also prohibits employersfrom taking any adverse action against an employee who requests oruses a reasonable accommodation, from denying employment or promotionopportunities to an otherwise qualified applicant or employee because such employer will be required to make reasonable accommodation tothe applicant or employee, or from requiring an employee to takeleave if another reasonable accommodation can be provided to the known limitations related to the disability. The bill creates a cause of action against any employer who denies any of the rights to reasonable accommodation afforded by the bill and permits the court or juryto award compensatory damages, back pay, and other equitable relief.
Access to water; human right. Recognizing that access to clean, potable, and affordable water is a necessary human right.
Child-placing agencies; conscience clause; repeal. Repeals provisions that allowed child-placing agencies to refuse to perform, assist with, counsel, recommend, consent to, refer, or participate in any child placements when the proposed placement would violate the agency's written religious or moral convictions or policies. The bill provides that any child-placing agency that operated pursuant to the provisions of the conscience clause prior to February 1, 2021, may continue to do so until January 1, 2022, but only with regard to placements made prior to February 1, 2022.
Environmental permits; community and environmentaljustice outreach. Requires the applicant for any (i) new or majormodified stationary air pollution source, (ii) new landfill or transfer station, (iii) certification of site approval for a hazardous wastefacility, (iv) new individual Virginia Pollutant Discharge EliminationSystem permit, (v) new individual Virginia Water Protection permit,(vi) new individual Virginia Stormwater Management Program permit,(vii) new individual Virginia Pollution Abatement permit, or (viii)individual ground water withdrawal permit for a new ground water withdrawal to complete certain public notice requirements, including(a) holding a public hearing; (b) publishing notices in English andSpanish in a newspaper, on social media, and on signage at the sitelocation at least 60 days prior to such public meeting; (c) mailingnotices to interested parties; (d) accepting written comments; (e)transcribing meeting information; and (f) responding to communityconcerns to the satisfaction of the Department of Environmental Quality. The bill removes an exemption for applicantsfor a permit to operate a new captive industrial landfill or a new construction-demolition-debris landfill from certain provisions relatingto new landfills or transfer stations. The bill also removes an exemptionfrom certain public notice requirements granted to local governmentor public authority applicants for a permit to operate a landfillor transfer station.
Study; JLARC; impact of COVID-19 on Virginia's public schools, students, and school employees; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the impact of COVID-19 on Virginia's public schools, students, and school employees, including (i) examining and determining reasons for barriers to student success in virtual and hybrid models as well as the overall impact of COVID-19 face-to-face learning restrictions on previously existing student achievement gaps, student achievement, and student well-being, including any disproportionate impact on at-risk populations; (ii) determining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on staffing levels, including the impact of teacher and school employee retirements and resignations on delivery of instruction and the ability of local school boards to fully staff their needs, employment levels, and local budgets; (iii) determining the short-term and projected long-term changes in student enrollment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of such changes on funding levels; (iv) determining the impact of implementing COVID-19 health and safety measures in public schools; (v) evaluating public schools' level of emergency preparedness to face another pandemic or statewide crisis and making recommendations to help guide planning for such events and (vi) examining programs that can address learning loss and identifying barriers to implementing those programs, including resource gaps.
