dcrodriguez/Code-of-Virginia huggingface dataset:
Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-290.02. Traineeships for education of special education personnel.
A. There are hereby established traineeships that shall be awarded to persons who are interested in working in programs for the education of children with disabilities for either part-time or full-time study in programs designed to qualify them as special education personnel in the public schools. Applicants for such traineeships shall be graduates of a recognized institution of higher education.

B. The award of such traineeships shall be made by the State Board, and the number of awards during any one year shall depend upon the amounts appropriated by the General Assembly for this purpose. The amount awarded for each traineeship shall be $450 for a minimum of six semester hours of course work in areas relating to special education to be taken by the applicant during a single semester or summer session.

C. This program shall be administered by the Department of Education under rules and regulations promulgated by the State Board.

2014, c. 484; 2023, cc. 148, 149.
Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-290.2. Teacher, other instructional personnel, and support staff shortages; data.
A. Each school board shall report to the Department of Education annually the number and type of teacher, other instructional personnel, and support staff vacancies in the school division.

B. Each approved education preparation program shall report to the Department of Education annually the number of individuals who completed the program by endorsement area.

C. The Department of Education shall (i) establish deadlines for and the format of the reporting of the data pursuant to subsections A and B and (ii) aggregate and report such data annually on the Department's website.

2020, c. 674.

Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-290.3. (Expires July 1, 2028) Teacher Reengagement Program.
A. There is hereby established the Teacher Reengagement Program (the Program) for the purpose of addressing instructional personnel shortages and COVID-19 pandemic-related student learning loss.

B. Any school board may hire an individual pursuant to the Program, subject to the following conditions and limitations:

1. The individual works on a part-time basis;

2. The individual is compensated with part-time pay; with any health, dental, and vision insurance coverage that is available to full-time school board employees; or with some combination of such pay and coverage;

3. In the case of an individual who holds a renewable or provisional teaching license issued by the Board, the individual's duties consist of teaching students, providing one-on-one tutoring services to students, or mentoring teachers, or some combination thereof;

4. In the case of an individual who does not hold a renewable or provisional teaching license issued by the Board, the individual has professional experience or expertise in a certain subject matter area and the individual's duties consist of providing one-on-one tutoring services to students in such subject matter area; and

5. The individual complies with all laws, regulations, and school board policies and procedures applicable to part-time school board employees.

C. Any school board that hires any part-time employee pursuant to the Program shall annually report to the Department such data on the implementation of the Program that the Department deems necessary to evaluate its continued effectiveness at addressing instructional personnel shortages and student learning loss.

2023, c. 429.

Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-291. Repealed.
Repealed by Acts 2011, c. 216, cl. 2.
Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-291.1. Planning time for public elementary school teachers; data on lunch breaks.
A. Each school board shall ensure that all elementary school teachers in its employment are provided at least an average of 30 minutes per day during the students' school week as planning time.

B. The Department shall annually collect and present in the Virginia School Survey of Climate and Working Conditions school-level and division-level data on the share of teachers that are provided each working day a lunch break of at least 30 minutes in length and unencumbered by any teaching or supervisory duties.

1995, c. 404; 2000, c. 650; 2009, c. 482; 2024, c. 196.
Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-291.1:1. School counselors; staff time.
A. As used in this section:

"Appraisal and advisement" means the act of assisting students in exploring their abilities, interests, skills, and achievement to make decisions and develop immediate and long-range goals and plans.

"Consultation, collaboration, and referrals" means the act of (i) providing information to and receiving information from individuals or teams to support a student's needs; (ii) working and communicating with parents, teachers, administrators, other school staff, and community stakeholders to (a) promote achievement for a specific student or (b) promote systemic change to address the needs of groups of underserved or underrepresented groups of students; and (iii) referring students to outside providers and resources as necessary.

"Crisis counseling" means the act of providing counseling to individual students or small groups of students to help such students navigate critical situations such as emergencies and crises.

"Direct counseling" means school counseling curriculum lessons and activities, individual counseling, small group counseling, crisis counseling, appraisal and advisement, and consultation, collaboration, and referrals. "Direct counseling" does not include program planning and school support.

"Individual counseling" means the act of providing developmentally appropriate, goal-focused, and brief counseling sessions to individual students to address issues relating to mental health and wellness, social and emotional development, academic achievement, and college and career readiness.

"Program planning and school support" means the act of defining, planning, managing, and assessing school counseling activities. "Program planning and school support" includes the act of reviewing data, creating annual student outcome goals, creating action plans and results reports, holding annual administrative conferences, monitoring use-of-time, creating annual and weekly calendars, and facilitating school counseling advisory councils.

"School counseling curriculum lessons and activities" means the act of providing data-informed lessons or activities at the classroom level or on a schoolwide basis to provide students with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills appropriate for their developmental levels.

"Small group counseling" means the act of providing counseling to small groups of students with similar developmental or situational challenges with the goal of improving achievement, attendance, mental health or wellness, or behavioral outcomes.

B. Each school counselor employed by a school board in a public elementary or secondary school shall spend at least 80 percent of his staff time during normal school hours in the direct counseling of individual students or groups of students and may spend up to 20 percent of his staff time during normal school hours on program planning and school support.

2019, c. 139; 2023, cc. 347, 349.
Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-291.2. Repealed.
Repealed by Acts 2004, c. 872, cl. 7, effective May 4, 2005.

Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-291.3. Notice of duty to report child abuse or neglect.
Each public school board and each administrator of every private or parochial school shall post, in each of their schools, a notice, pursuant to § 63.2-1509, that: (i) any teacher or other person employed in a public or private school who has reason to suspect that a child is an abused or neglected child, including any child who may be abandoned, is required to report such suspected cases of child abuse or neglect to local or state social services agencies or the person in charge of the relevant school or his designee; and (ii) all persons required to report cases of suspected child abuse or neglect are immune from civil or criminal liability or administrative penalty or sanction on account of such reports unless such person has acted in bad faith or with malicious purpose. The notice shall also include the Virginia Department of Social Services' toll-free child abuse and neglect hotline.

2004, cc. 710, 752.
Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-291.4. Bullying and abusive work environments prohibited.
A. As used in this section:

"Abusive conduct" means conduct of a school board employee in the workplace that a reasonable person would find hostile and that is severe enough to cause physical harm or psychological harm to another school board employee based on a determination in which the following factors are considered: the severity, nature, and frequency of the conduct and, when applicable, the continuation of the conduct after a school board employee requests that it cease or demonstrates outward signs of physical harm or psychological harm in the face of the conduct. "Abusive conduct" includes verbal or physical conduct that a reasonable person would find threatening, intimidating, or humiliating; the gratuitous sabotage or undermining of another school board employee's work performance; attempts to exploit another school board employee's known psychological or physical vulnerability; or repeated infliction of verbal abuse, such as the use of derogatory remarks, insults, or epithets. "Abusive conduct" does not include (i) a single act, unless it is especially severe, or (ii) conduct that the school board proves with clear and convincing evidence is necessary for the furtherance of its legitimate and lawful interests.

"Abusive work environment" means a workplace in a school division in which abusive conduct occurs.

"Physical harm" means a material impairment of a school board employee's physical health or bodily integrity, as documented by a licensed physician or another licensed health care provider.

"Psychological harm" means a material impairment of a school board employee's mental health, as documented by a licensed psychologist, psychiatrist, or psychotherapist or another licensed mental health care provider.

B. Each school board shall implement policies and procedures to educate school board employees about bullying, as defined in § 22.1-276.01, and the need to create a bully-free environment.

C. Each school board shall adopt policies to:

1. Prohibit abusive work environments in the school division;

2. Provide for the appropriate discipline of any school board employee who contributes to an abusive work environment; and

3. Prohibit retaliation or reprisal against a school board employee who alleges an abusive work environment or assists in the investigation of an allegation of an abusive work environment.

D. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit a school board's authority to adopt policies to prohibit any other type of workplace conduct as the school board deems necessary.

2013, c. 575; 2018, c. 488; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 450.

Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-292. Penalties on officers and teachers.
Any division superintendent, member of a school board or other school officer or any principal or teacher in a public school violating any provision of this title shall be guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor if no other penalty is prescribed.

Code 1950, § 22-215; 1980, c. 559.
Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-292.1. Violations related to secure mandatory tests.
A. The Board of Education may (i) issue written reprimand to or (ii) suspend or revoke the administrative or teaching license of any holder of a Board-issued administrative or teaching license who knowingly and willfully commits any of the following acts related to secure mandatory tests administered to students as required by this title or by the Board of Education:

1. Giving unauthorized access to secure test questions;

2. Copying or reproducing all or any portion of any secure test booklet;

3. Divulging the contents of any portion of a secure test;

4. Coaching or assisting examinees during testing or altering test materials or examinees' responses in any way;

5. Making available any answer keys;

6. Failing to follow test security procedures established by the Department of Education;

7. Providing a false certification on any test security form required by the Department of Education;

8. Retaining a copy of secure test questions;

9. Excluding students from testing who are required to be assessed; and

10. Participating in, directing, aiding, assisting in, or encouraging any of the acts prohibited by this section.

For the purposes of this section, "secure test" means an item, question, or test that has not been made publicly available by the Department of Education.

Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit educational personnel from providing input to administrators or other authorized personnel, including school board members and members of the General Assembly, except when done in a manner that violates test integrity or security regarding the accuracy, clarity, or propriety of test items or test administration procedures.

B. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit or restrict the reasonable and necessary actions of the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, or the Department of Education in test development or selection, test form construction, standard setting, test scoring and reporting, or any other related activities which, in the judgment of the Superintendent of Public Instruction or the Board of Education, are necessary and appropriate.

C. Any written reprimand, suspension, or revocation imposed for the acts enumerated in this section shall be rendered pursuant to Board regulations promulgated pursuant to the Administrative Process Act (§ 2.2-4000 et seq.) and § 22.1-298.1, governing the licensure of teachers.

2000, cc. 634, 659; 2004, cc. 939, 955; 2006, cc. 27, 349; 2011, c. 248; 2019, c. 587.
Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-292.2. Suspension or revocation of license for procuring, selling, or administering anabolic steroids.
A. The Board of Education shall suspend or revoke the administrative or teaching license it has issued to any person who knowingly and willfully with the intent to compromise the outcome of an athletic competition procures, sells, or administers anabolic steroids or causes such drugs to be procured, sold, or administered to a student who is a member of a school athletic team, or fails to report the use of such drugs by a student to the school principal and division superintendent as required by § 22.1-279.3:1. Any person whose administrative or teaching license is suspended or revoked by the Board pursuant to this section shall be ineligible for three school years for employment in the public schools of the Commonwealth.

B. Any suspension or revocation imposed in accordance with this section shall be rendered pursuant to Board regulations promulgated pursuant to the Administrative Process Act (§ 2.2-4000 et seq.) and § 22.1-298.1, governing the licensure of teachers.

2005, c. 481; 2006, cc. 27, 349.

Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-292.3. License may not be suspended solely on the basis of default or delinquency in payment of federal-guaranteed or state-guaranteed education loan or scholarship.
The Board shall not be authorized to suspend or revoke the administrative or teaching license it has issued to any person who is in default or delinquent in the payment of a federal-guaranteed or state-guaranteed educational loan or work-conditional scholarship solely on the basis of such default or delinquency.

2018, cc. 170, 381.
Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-293. School boards authorized to employ principals and assistant principals; license required; powers and duties.
A. A school board, upon recommendation of the division superintendent, may employ principals and assistant principals. Persons employed in these positions shall hold licenses as prescribed by the Board of Education.

B. A principal shall provide instructional leadership in, shall be responsible for the administration of, and shall supervise the operation and management of the school or schools and property to which he has been assigned, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the school board and under the supervision of the division superintendent.

C. A principal may submit recommendations to the division superintendent for the appointment, assignment, promotion, transfer, and dismissal of all personnel assigned to his supervision. Principals must have received training, provided pursuant to § 22.1-253.13:5, in the evaluation and documentation of employee performance, which evaluation and documentation shall include, but shall not be limited to, employee skills and knowledge and student academic progress, prior to submitting such recommendations. Assistant principals and other supervisory personnel participating in the evaluation and documentation of employee performance must also have received such training in the evaluation and documentation of employee performance.

D. A principal shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the division superintendent pursuant to the rules and regulations of the school board.

Code 1950, § 22-217.9; 1973, c. 223; 1980, c. 559; 1992, c. 132; 1999, cc. 1030, 1037; 2013, cc. 588, 650.
Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-295. Employment of teachers.
A. The teachers in the public schools of a school division shall be employed and placed in appropriate schools by the school board upon recommendation of the division superintendent. In placing teachers, school boards shall fill positions with licensed instructional personnel qualified in the relevant subject areas.

B. School boards shall adopt employment policies and practices designed to promote the employment and retention of highly qualified teachers and to effectively serve the educational needs of students. Such policies shall include, but need not be limited to, incentives for excellence in teaching, including financial support for teachers attending professional development seminars or those seeking and obtaining national certification.

C. School boards shall develop a procedure for use by division superintendents and principals in evaluating teachers that is appropriate to the tasks performed and addresses, among other things, student academic progress and the skills and knowledge of instructional personnel, including, but not limited to, instructional methodology, classroom management, and subject matter knowledge.

Teachers employed by local school boards who have achieved continuing contract status shall be formally evaluated at least once every three years and more often as deemed necessary by the principal, and they shall be evaluated informally during each year in which they are not formally evaluated. Any teacher who has achieved continuing contract status who receives an unsatisfactory formal evaluation and who continues to be employed by the local school board shall be formally evaluated in the following year. The evaluation shall be maintained in the employee's personnel file.

Each local superintendent shall annually certify divisionwide compliance with the provisions of this section to the Department.

Code 1950, § 22-203; 1980, c. 559; 1996, c. 186; 1999, cc. 831, 1030, 1037; 2006, c. 373; 2013, cc. 588, 650.
Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-295.1. Employee personnel files; maintenance of employee records; confidentiality of certain records.
A. Personnel files of all school board employees may be produced and maintained in digital or paper format.

B. Information determined to be unfounded after a reasonable administrative review shall not be maintained in any employee personnel file, but may be retained in a separate sealed file by the administration if such information alleges civil or criminal offenses. Any dispute over such unfounded information exclusive of opinions retained in the personnel file, or in a separate sealed file, notwithstanding the provisions of the Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act (§ 2.2-3800 et seq.), shall be settled through the employee grievance procedure as provided in §§ 22.1-306 and 22.1-308 through 22.1-314.

C. Teacher performance indicators or other data collected by or for the Department of Education or the local school board or made available to and able to be used by the local school board to judge the performance or quality of a teacher, maintained in a teacher's personnel file or otherwise, shall be confidential but may be disclosed, in a form that does not personally identify any student or other teacher, (i) pursuant to court order, (ii) for the purposes of a grievance proceeding involving the teacher, or (iii) as otherwise required by state or federal law. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prohibit the release or to limit the availability of nonidentifying, aggregate teacher performance indicators or other data.

1987, c. 506; 2006, c. 191; 2013, c. 291; 2016, c. 390.
Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-295.2. Employment discrimination prohibited.
A. As used in this section:

"Age" means being an individual who is at least 40 years of age.

"Military status" means status as (i) a member of the uniformed forces, as defined in 10 U.S.C. § 101(a)(5), of the United States or a reserve component thereof named under 10 U.S.C. § 10101, (ii) a veteran as defined in 38 U.S.C. § 101(2), or (iii) a dependent as defined in 50 U.S.C. § 3911(4) except that the support provided by the service member to the individual shall have been provided 180 days immediately preceding an alleged action that if proven true would constitute unlawful discrimination under this section instead of 180 days immediately preceding an application for relief under 50 U.S.C. Chapter 50.

"Religion" includes any outward expression of religious faith, including adherence to religious dressing and grooming practices and the carrying or display of religious items or symbols.

B. No school board or any agent or employee thereof shall discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or military status.

C. The provisions of this section shall not prohibit (i) discrimination in employment on the basis of sex or age in those instances when sex or age is a bona fide occupational qualification for employment or (ii) providing preference in employment to veterans.

2020, cc. 1137, 1140; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, cc. 477, 478; 2022, c. 799.

Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-296. Payment of employees; reimbursement for private transportation; certain sick leave policies.
A. Each school board shall provide for the payment of teachers, principals, assistant principals, and other employees monthly, semimonthly, or biweekly, as may be determined by the school board.

However, school boards setting the school calendar so that the first day students are required to attend occurs prior to August 15 shall establish a payment schedule to ensure that all contract personnel are compensated for time worked within the first month of employment.

B. All school board employees may be reimbursed for private transportation at a rate not to exceed that which is authorized for persons traveling on state business in accordance with § 2.2-2825. Whatever rate is paid, however, shall be the same for school board members and employees of the board.

C. Each local school board shall adopt policies providing for leave without pay for school board employees with debilitating or life-threatening illness or injury, without regard to the employee's length of service with the school board.

Code 1950, §§ 22-57.2, 22-72; 1954, c. 289; 1956, Ex. Sess., c. 60; 1959, Ex. Sess., c. 79, § 1; 1966, c. 691; 1968, c. 139; 1970, c. 71; 1971, Ex. Sess., c. 161; 1972, c. 511; 1975, cc. 308, 328; 1980, c. 559; 1998, c. 872; 2003, cc. 531, 557; 2005, c. 486; 2019, cc. 569, 570.
Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-296.5. Employment verification required.
Each school board shall respond within 10 working days of receiving a request for employment verification of a former employee of the school board when such verification is sought by another school board. As used in this section, "working day" means every day except Saturdays, Sundays, and legal state and federal holidays.

2024, cc. 442, 508.

Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-297. Assignment of teachers, principals and assistant principals by superintendent.
A division superintendent shall have authority to assign to their respective positions in the school wherein they have been placed by the school board all teachers, principals and assistant principals. If the school board adopts a resolution authorizing the division superintendent to reassign such teachers, principals and assistant principals, the division superintendent may reassign any such teacher, principal or assistant principal for that school year to any school within such division, provided no change or reassignment during a school year shall affect the salary of such teacher, principal or assistant principal for that school year.

Code 1950, § 22-205; 1956, Ex. Sess., c. 61; 1968, c. 643; 1980, cc. 559, 575.

Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-298. Repealed.
Repealed by Acts 2006, cc. 27 and 349, cl. 2.
Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-298.2. Regulations governing education preparation programs.
A. As used in this section, "education preparation program" includes four-year bachelor's degree programs in teacher education.

B. Education preparation programs shall meet the requirements for accreditation and program approval as prescribed by the Board of Education in its regulations.

C. The Board of Education regulations shall provide for education preparation programs offered by institutions of higher education, Virginia public school divisions, and certified providers for alternate routes to licensure.

D. The Board may prescribe requirements for admission to Virginia's approved education preparation programs in its regulations.

E. The Board shall establish accountability measures for approved education programs. Data shall be submitted to the Board on not less than a biennial basis.

F. The Board shall review and amend its regulations governing general education teacher preparation programs for kindergarten through twelfth grade to ensure graduates are required to demonstrate proficiency in (i) differentiating instruction for students depending on their needs; (ii) understanding the role of general education teachers on the individualized education program team; (iii) implementing effective models of collaborative instruction, including co-teaching; and (iv) understanding the goals and benefits of inclusive education for all students.

G. The Board shall review and amend its regulations governing administrator preparation programs to ensure graduates are required to demonstrate comprehension of (i) key special education laws and regulations, (ii) individualized education program development, (iii) the roles and responsibilities of special education teachers, and (iv) appropriate behavior management practices.

2006, cc. 27, 349; 2018, cc. 518, 748, 749; 2019, cc. 63, 407; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, cc. 451, 452.

Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-298.2:1. (Contingent effective date — see note) Teacher employment data; education preparation programs.
The Department of Education shall aggregate and report to each education preparation program the following teacher employment data on such program's graduates, as available and to the extent that such data does not reveal personally identifiable information: the total number of graduates who obtain full licensure within three years of graduation; the percentage of all graduates who teach within three years of graduation; the total number of graduates employed in the Commonwealth by school division, graduation year, and type of school; the school characteristics, attributes of students, and educational outcomes where graduates initially taught; and information on teacher transfers and departures relative to initial employment.

2019, c. 598.
Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-298.3. Students with autism spectrum disorders; training required of personnel.
A. Each school board shall ensure that aides assigned to work with a teacher who has primary oversight of students with autism spectrum disorders receive training in student behavior management within 60 days of assignment to such responsibility.

The Board of Education shall provide training standards that school boards may use to fulfill the requirements of this subsection.

B. The Board of Education shall establish a training program for school board employees who assist in the transportation of students on school buses, including individuals employed to operate school buses and school bus aides, on autism spectrum disorders, including the characteristics of autism spectrum disorders, strategies for interacting with students with autism spectrum disorders, and collaboration with other employees who assist in the transportation of students on school buses. Each school board employee who assists in the transportation of students with autism spectrum disorders on school buses shall participate in such training program.

2012, c. 755; 2018, c. 586.

Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-298.4. Teacher preparation programs; learning disabilities.
The Department of Education shall collaborate with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to ensure that all teacher preparation programs offered at public institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth or otherwise available convey information on the identification of students at risk for learning disabilities, including dyslexia, other language-based learning disabilities, and attention deficit disorder.

2016, c. 649.
Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-298.5. Regulations governing licensure; endorsement in dual language instruction pre-kindergarten through grade six.
A. As used in this section, "dual language instruction" means instruction that is delivered in English and in a second language.

B. In its regulations governing licensure established pursuant to § 22.1-298.1, the Board shall provide for licensure of teachers with an endorsement in dual language instruction pre-kindergarten through grade six. In establishing the requirements for such endorsement, the Board shall require, at minimum, coursework in dual language education; bilingual literacy development; methods of second language acquisition; theories of second language acquisition; instructional strategies for classroom management for the elementary classroom; and content-based curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

C. Each teacher with an endorsement in dual language instruction pre-kindergarten through grade six is exempt from the Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment requirement but is subject to the subject matter-specific professional teacher's assessment requirements.

D. No teacher with an endorsement in dual language instruction pre-kindergarten through grade six is required to obtain an additional endorsement in early/primary education pre-kindergarten through grade three or elementary education pre-kindergarten through grade six in order to teach in pre-kindergarten through grade six.

2018, c. 391.

Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-298.6. Mental health awareness training.
A. Each school board shall adopt and implement policies that require each teacher and other relevant personnel, as determined by the school board, employed on a full-time basis, to complete a mental health awareness training or similar program at least once.

B. Each school board shall provide required personnel the training required by subsection A and may contract with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, a community services board, a behavioral health authority, a nonprofit organization, or other certified trainer as defined in § 37.2-312.2 to provide such training. Such training may be provided via an online module.

2020, cc. 471, 472.

Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-298.7. Teachers and other licensed school board employees; cultural competency training.
Each school board shall adopt and implement policies that require each teacher and any other school board employee holding a license issued by the Board to complete cultural competency training, in accordance with guidance issued by the Board, at least every two years.

2021, Sp. Sess. I, cc. 23, 24.
Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-298.8. Public elementary and secondary school teachers; certain training activities; requirements and limitations; index.
A. As used in this section, "non-academic training activity" means any training activity in which any public elementary or secondary school teacher is required to participate that is not related to the teacher's instructional, academic, or curricular duties. "Non-academic training activity" does not include any requirement relating to licensure.

B. Notwithstanding any other provision of law:

1. No public elementary or secondary school teacher shall be required to participate more frequently than once within six months of employment with the applicable school board and once every five years thereafter in any non-academic training activity, provided, however, that participation in additional training relating to secure mandatory test violations as set forth in §§ 22.1-19.1 and 22.1-292.1 may be required upon the determination of the school board or division superintendent that such additional training is necessary to comply with federal or state law or to remediate misconduct. Each teacher who completes any such training shall sign a written attestation that the teacher has been trained in and understands the relevant subject matter.

2. The total frequency and duration of non-academic training activities in which each public elementary or secondary school teacher is required to participate pursuant to (i) state law or regulation or (ii) policy or regulation of the applicable school board shall not exceed 25 hours every five years.

C. The provisions of subsection B shall not apply to any non-academic training activity or other training activity in which any public school teacher is required to participate pursuant to federal law or regulation.

D. Any non-academic training activity in which a public elementary or secondary school teacher voluntarily participates shall not count toward the maximum number of hours of non-academic training activities in which a public elementary or secondary school teacher may be required to participate pursuant to subdivision B 2.

E. The Department shall establish and maintain an index of each training in which any public elementary and secondary school teacher in the Commonwealth is required to participate pursuant to state or federal law or regulation, including training required as a condition of licensure by the Department. Such index shall include information on the classification of teacher required to complete each training; the topic, length, and frequency of each training activity; and the total number of hours of training that each teacher is required to complete in a specific period of time. The Department shall review and update such index annually, when a training is added, or when an existing training on the index is changed in length or frequency to ensure that the information therein is accurate. The Department shall post such index in an easily and publicly accessible format and location on its website.

2023, c. 641; 2025, cc. 477, 489, 643.
Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-299. (Effective until July 1, 2030) License required of teachers; provisional licenses; exceptions.
A. No teacher shall be regularly employed by a school board or paid from public funds unless such teacher holds a license or provisional license issued by the Board or a one-year local eligibility license issued by a school board pursuant to subsection N of § 22.1-298.1.

B. Notwithstanding the provision in § 22.1-298.1 that the provisional license is limited to three years, the following exceptions shall apply:

1. If a teacher employed in the Commonwealth under a provisional license is activated or deployed for military service within a school year (July 1-June 30), an additional year shall be added to the teacher's provisional license for each school year or portion thereof during which the teacher is activated or deployed. The additional year shall be granted the year following the return of the teacher from deployment or activation.

2. The Board shall extend for at least one additional year, but for no more than two additional years, the three-year provisional license of a teacher upon receiving from the division superintendent (i) a recommendation for such extension and (ii) satisfactory performance evaluations for such teacher for each year during the original three-year provisional license that such teacher was actually employed and received a filed performance evaluation. Any individual issued a local eligibility license pursuant to subsection N of § 22.1-298.1 shall not be eligible for an extension of a provisional license.

3. The Board shall extend for at least one additional year, but for no more than two additional years, the three-year provisional license of a teacher employed in an accredited private elementary or secondary school or a school for students with disabilities that is licensed pursuant to Chapter 16 (§ 22.1-319 et seq.) upon receiving from the school administrator of such school (i) a recommendation for such extension and (ii) satisfactory performance evaluations for such teacher for each year of the original three-year provisional license.

C. In accordance with regulations prescribed by the Board, a person not meeting the requirements for a license or provisional license issued by the Board or for a one-year local eligibility license issued by a school board pursuant to subsection N of § 22.1-298.1 may be employed and paid from public funds by a school board temporarily as a substitute teacher to meet an emergency.

Code 1950, § 22-204; 1954, c. 638; 1958, c. 300; 1979, c. 532; 1980, c. 559; 1992, c. 132; 2000, c. 689; 2008, c. 51; 2013, cc. 588, 650; 2018, cc. 748, 749; 2020, cc. 172, 639; 2023, cc. 748, 800; 2024, c. 845.

Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-299.1. Repealed.
Repealed by Acts 1990, c. 970.
Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-299.2. National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund.
A. From such funds as may be appropriated for such purpose and from such gifts, donations, grants, bequests, and other funds as may be received on its behalf, there is hereby established the National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program (the "Program"), to be administered by the Board of Education, and a special nonreverting fund within the state treasury known as the National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program Fund (the "Fund"). The Fund shall be established on the books of the Comptroller, and any moneys remaining in the Fund at the end of the biennium shall not revert to the general fund but shall remain in the Fund. Interest earned on such funds shall remain in the Fund and be credited to it.

The State Treasurer shall manage the Fund, subject to the authority of the Board of Education to provide for its disbursement. The Fund shall be disbursed to award incentive grants to public school teachers obtaining national certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

To the extent funds are available in the Fund, teachers who obtain national certification shall receive an initial state-funded award of $5,000 and a subsequent award of $2,500 each year for the life of the certificate. Such awards shall continue to be paid upon renewal of the certificate. The Board shall establish procedures for determining amounts of awards if the moneys in the Fund are not sufficient to award each eligible teacher the appropriate award amount.

B. The Board may issue guidelines governing the Program as it deems necessary and appropriate.

1999, cc. 1030, 1032, 1037.

Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-299.3. Repealed.
Repealed by Acts 2013, cc. 588 and 650, cl. 2.
Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-299.5. Waiver of teacher licensure requirements; trade and industrial education programs.
A. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, any division superintendent may apply to the Department of Education for a biennial waiver of the teacher licensure requirements for any individual whom the local school board hires or seeks to hire to teach in a trade and industrial education program who has obtained or is working toward an industry credential relating to the program area and who has at least 4,000 hours of recent and relevant employment experience, as defined by the Board pursuant to regulation.

B. The Department of Education shall establish a procedure for submitting, receiving, and acting upon such biennial waiver applications.

2016, c. 435; 2018, cc. 748, 749.
Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-299.7. Microcredential program; certain STEM subjects.
A. The Department of Education may establish a microcredential program for the purpose of permitting any public elementary or secondary school teacher who holds a renewable or provisional license or any individual who participates in any alternate route to licensure program to complete additional coursework and earn microcredentials in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) endorsement areas, including computer science, for which there is a high need for additional qualified teachers.

B. The Department of Education shall direct the Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensure to convene a workgroup including pertinent education stakeholders to determine how any microcredential awarded pursuant to any microcredential program established pursuant to subsection A will be used to award add-on endorsements and certifications for teachers in STEM endorsement areas, including computer science, for which there is a high need for additional qualified teachers.

C. Any course offered through any microcredential program established pursuant to subsection A shall be offered in-person or in a blended format of in-person and online instruction.

D. Any teacher who holds a renewable license and who participates, through any microcredential program offered pursuant to subsection A, in courses that do not contribute to an endorsement is eligible for professional development points toward renewal of his license for the number of in-person hours of coursework completed, upon providing a certificate of such participation from the course provider.

2019, cc. 227, 597.
Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-299.7:1.  (For effective date, see Acts 2022, cc. 549, 550, cl. 2) Microcredential program; reading specialists.
A. The Department shall establish a microcredential program for the purpose of permitting any public elementary or secondary school teacher who holds a renewable or provisional license or any individual who participates in any alternate route to licensure program to earn a series of microcredentials in the reading specialist endorsement area. Such microcredential program shall require candidates to complete a performance-based assessment intended to allow the educator to demonstrate competency in evidence-based literacy instruction and science-based reading research as well as the identification of and the appropriate interventions, accommodations, and teaching techniques for students with dyslexia or a related disorder.

B. The Board shall issue guidance that determines how the series of microcredentials awarded to teachers pursuant to the microcredential program established in accordance with subsection A will be used to award an add-on endorsement as a reading specialist. Any add-on endorsement that results from completion of such microcredential program shall be provisional for a period of five years.

C. A local school board may employ a teacher with an add-on endorsement as a reading specialist pursuant to this section to satisfy the requirement set forth in subsection G of § 22.1-253.13:2 if the local school board is unable to employ a teacher with a full endorsement as a reading specialist.

D. Teachers who hold a renewable license and who participate, through the microcredential program established in accordance with subsection A, in courses that do not contribute to an endorsement are eligible for professional development points toward renewal of their license for the number of in-person hours of coursework completed upon providing a certificate of such participation from the course provider.

2022, cc. 549, 550.

Code of Virginia — Title 22.1 (Education), Chapter 15 (Teachers, Officers and Employees)
§ 22.1-299.8. Technical professional licenses; substitution of certain professional development activities for required coursework.
The Board shall permit any individual who seeks a technical professional license to substitute the successful completion of an intensive, job-embedded, three-year program of professional development for the nine semester hours of professional studies required for such license.

2020, c. 684.