K-12 Subcommittee

Tuesday, February 24, 2026·1h 9m·▶ Watch / Listen

The K-12 Subcommittee advanced all ten bills on its agenda, including measures addressing school meal debt, student safety technology, graduation requirements, and anti-bullying protections for students with disabilities, with most bills passing by wide margins and two referred to the Appropriations Committee.

Key Actions

·SB42 – School Meal Debt EvaluationNo Vote

+ 8 more actions

Controversies

Removal of 'teasing' from SB264 (bullying/IEP bill)

Delegate Cherry argued that 'teasing' is not defined in Title 22.1 of the code and that 'harassment wraps into that,' proposing a friendly amendment to remove the word. Senator Stanley pushed back, invoking a Potter Stewart quote — 'I can't define it, but I know it when I see it' — and argued that teasing 'is the precursor to what comes next.' Counsel confirmed that teasing is not defined in Title 22.1 and that the definition of bullying has a component saying bullying does not include things like teasing. Senator Stanley ultimately acquiesced to removing the word.

+ 4 more controversies

Notable Quotes

“Individual school has a much more limited budget in order to deal with that. But they are much. But they are still responsible for it. So tens of thousands of dollars coming out of an individual school budget, that's big money. That's real deal stuff. Assigning it back to, in Prince William County's case, a billion dollar school division, they can absorb that much, much easier than the individual school could.”
Senator Danica Tom — Senator Roem was explaining the rationale for SB42, which would evaluate requiring school divisions rather than individual schools to absorb uncollectible school meal debt.

+ 4 more quotes

Votes

Report SB42Passed

Report and refer SB39 to AppropriationsPassed

Report SB245 as amendedPassed

Report SB724Passed

Report SB63Passed

Amend SB105 to make it a Section 1 bill directing the STEM Education Advisory Board to create qualifying guidelines for the grant program and report as amendedPassed

Report and refer SB264 to AppropriationsPassed

Report SB109 as substitutedPassed

Move the substitute conforming SB685 to the House versionPassed

Report SB151 with substitute conforming to House Bill 705Passed

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TranscriptPreview

Good morning. The K12 subcommittee will come to order. Madam Clerk, you may take the roll. Up. I'm happy to vote for Stellar Stanley's bill while we fix our technical difficulties taking role. I want to welcome everyone. Thank you for joining us in person and online. We ask that you keep your testimony to less than 1 minute and address any comments through me, the chair. And please exercise decorum and respect for our members. First we will be taking testimony in person in favor and then we will move to in person opposed. This will be followed by online to hear in person testimony in favor and then opposed for online testimony. Please keep comments to less than one minute and please turn on your camera per the rules of the House of Delegates. You can also submit comments using hod speak house.virginia.gov that being said, Madam Clerk, can we take the role? It's still non functional, but I can do a roll. Okay. Well, actually we the committee. Until we get our technical difficulties sorted out, the committee will go at ease. Good morning. The K12 subcommittee will come back to order. Madam Clerk, you may open…

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