K-12 Subcommittee

Tuesday, February 3, 2026·1h 43m·▶ Watch / Listen

The K-12 Subcommittee advanced bills on school meals, threat assessment training, teacher suspension rights, library book censorship, and language access for English learner families, while tabling bills on math/reading recovery (HB704) and school construction bonds (HB1187), and continuing two health-related bills to 2027.

Key Actions

·HB1071 – Threat Assessment Team Training on Risk OrdersPassed

+ 13 more actions

Controversies

Grade retention strategy in HB704 (math and reading recovery)

Delegate Tata argued Virginia's poor math and reading rankings require a comprehensive intervention including grade retention, pointing to Mississippi's rise from the bottom of national rankings to the top 10. Chad Stewart (VEA) countered that 'the research is clear on this necessarily improving students outcomes over the long term' is not established, and Tom Smith (Superintendent's Association) stated he had been in the field a long time and had 'never found [retention] to work.'

+ 3 more controversies

Notable Quotes

“Only 56% of graduating seniors in Virginia complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid fafsa, which provides Pell Grants, work study grants and student loans. The National College Attainment Network NCAN estimates that we're leaving $85 million in Pell grants on the table.”
Delegate Since — Delegate Singh was presenting HB1095, which would require high school students to either submit the FAFSA or sign an opt-out form before graduation, arguing Virginia is leaving substantial federal financial aid unclaimed.

+ 2 more quotes

Votes

Report HB832 as substitutedPassed

Yes (8)Simon, Askew, Olivier Bolling, Anderson, Downey, Cherry, Tata, Russell

No (1)Kent

Report HB1071Passed

Report HB1437 as amendedPassed

Report HB1095 with substitutePassed

Table HB704Passed

Table HB1187Passed

Report HB1499Passed

Report HB1278 and refer to Appropriations as amendedPassed

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TranscriptPreview

Good afternoon. Welcome to the second K12 subcommittee of the day. We do have some technical difficulties, so we're going to check to make sure the live stream is working and that the voting is working. So right now we're going to go. At ease. Thank you. Good afternoon. I want to bring the committee back to order. Our technical difficulties are not yet solved, but we are going to vote the old fashioned way. First of all, Madam Clerk, you may take the roll. Delegate Simons. Here. Delegate Askew. Here. Delegate Cousins. Delegate Livier Boland. Here. Delegate Anderson. Here. Delegate Dowry. Here. Delegate Bulova. Delegate Cherry. Here. Delegate Tada. Here. Delegate Kent. Here. And Chairman Russell? Here. All right, a quorum is present to conduct our business today. Thank you for joining us in person and online. We have a busy docket today, so we ask that you keep your testimony to less than 1 minute and address any comments to the chair. And please exercise decorum and respect for our members. And remember to stay on topic of the bill. Make sure your comments are germane to the bill at hand. First, we will take testimony in person…

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