reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-207.2:2. (Effective August 1, 2023) School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program; applications

Each local school board that collects information to determine eligibility for participation in the School Breakfast Program or the National School Lunch Program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shall establish and post prominently on its website a web-based application for student participation in such program and shall continue to provide a paper-based application.
2019, c. 228.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-207.3. School breakfast programs

A. Upon the appropriation and authorization of federal funds for the reimbursement of school breakfast programs, each school board shall establish a school breakfast program in any public school in which 25 percent or more of enrolled school-age children were approved eligible to receive free or reduced price meals in the federally funded lunch program during the previous school year.
B. The Board shall promulgate regulations for the implementation of the program. Such regulations shall include, but not be limited to, criteria for eligibility and exemptions; a reporting system for the compilation and analysis of information concerning the number and socioeconomic characteristics of participating school-age children; standards for food services; program evaluation; the investigation of complaints; an appeals process; notification of parents and guardians of the availability of the school breakfast program; and provision to teachers, children, and their parents or guardians of nutrition information describing the relationship between good nutrition, learning, and health.
C. Each school board subject to the provisions of this section shall develop and implement a plan to ensure compliance with the provisions of subsection A and submit the plan to the Department no later than 30 days prior to the commencement of the program. Each school board shall annually report such information as required in subsection B to the Department on such forms and in the manner to be prescribed by the Board. In the event that federal funding for school breakfast programs is reduced or eliminated, a school board may support the program with such state or local funds as may be appropriated for such purposes.
1993, c. 698; 2022, c. 355.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-207.3:1. Distribution of excess food

A. As used in this section, "excess food" means any remaining unexpired, unopened, and unconsumed food intended to be served as part of a reimbursable meal that was unable to be utilized for a current or future meal provision after a school has served breakfast and lunch to students during a school day.
B. Each school board may distribute excess food to enrolled students eligible for the School Breakfast Program or National School Lunch Program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture who the school board determines are eligible to receive excess food.
C. The method by which a school board distributes excess food shall be established by the school board in accordance with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requirements and guidelines for the distribution of excess food.
D. A school board may develop a policy describing the process for distributing excess food under this section, saving excess food for later consumption, or donating excess food.
2020, c. 574.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-207.4. Nutritional guidelines for competitive foods

A. For purposes of this section, "competitive food" means any food, excluding beverages, sold to students on school grounds during regular school hours that is not part of the school breakfast or school lunch program.
B. The Board, in cooperation with the Department of Health, shall promulgate regulations setting nutritional guidelines for all competitive foods.
C. The Board, with assistance from the Department of Health, shall periodically review the nutritional guidelines for competitive foods to ensure that they remain current and science-based and shall also review the nutritional guidelines upon changes to federal law or regulations for competitive foods.
D. The regulations promulgated pursuant to this section shall include but not be limited to: calorie, fat, sugar, and sodium content.
E. The regulations promulgated pursuant to this section shall permit each public school to conduct on school grounds during regular school hours no more than 30 school-sponsored fundraisers per school year, during which food that does not meet the nutrition guidelines for competitive foods may be sold to students.
2010, c. 718; 2015, c. 568.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-207.4:1. Participation in the Community Eligibility Provision

A. As used in this section:
"Identified student" means any student who is directly certified for free meals through means other than the use of an individual household application.
"Identified student" includes (i) any student who is directly certified for free meals based on the student's participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or based on Medicaid income data and (ii) any homeless, runaway, migrant, or Head Start student, or any foster child, who is approved as categorically eligible for free meals by means other than a meal application.
"Identified student percentage" means the fraction, expressed as a percentage, that results from dividing the number of identified students enrolled in a public elementary or secondary school by the total number of students enrolled in such school.
B. Each school board that governs a local school division that contains any public elementary or secondary school that has a minimum identified student percentage of 40 percent in the prior school year and is consequently eligible to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) shall apply to FNS to participate in CEP for each such school, pursuant to FNS guidelines, by submitting (i) identified student data to FNS by April 1, unless an extension is in effect and (ii) its completed application to FNS by June 30, unless an extension is in effect.
C. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit any school board from grouping elementary or secondary schools in the local school division and applying to FNS to participate in CEP for such group of schools.
D. The Superintendent for Public Instruction shall issue a waiver to the requirement set forth in subsection B in the sole circumstance that an evaluation of a school or group of schools that is eligible to participate in CEP determines that participation in CEP is not financially viable to such school or group of schools. The Department of Education shall develop a process and criteria for considering such waivers, including a process and criteria for conducting such CEP evaluations.
2020, Sp. Sess. I, c. 2.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-207.5. Instruction in American Sign Language

A. As used in this section, "American Sign Language" means the natural language recognized globally that is used by members of the deaf community and that is linguistically complete with unique rules for language structure and use that include phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and discourse.
B. If a local school board offers one or more elective courses in American Sign Language, such school board shall (i) grant academic credit for successful completion of an American Sign Language course on the same basis as the successful completion of a foreign language course and (ii) count completion of an American Sign Language course toward the fulfillment of any foreign language requirement for graduation.
C. If a local school board does not offer any elective course in American Sign Language, such school board shall (i) grant academic credit for successful completion of an American Sign Language course offered by a comprehensive community college or a multidivision online provider approved by the Board on the same basis as the successful completion of a foreign language course and (ii) count completion of any such American Sign Language course toward the fulfillment of any foreign language requirement for graduation.
2011, c. 762; 2018, c. 481.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-207.6. Military-connected students; National Math and Science Initiative

The Department of Education shall encourage school boards of school divisions that have a significant number of enrolled military-connected students to partner with the National Math and Science Initiative to provide such students with the tools and resources necessary to advance science, technology, engineering, and mathematics learning opportunities and career readiness. The Department shall provide technical assistance to any school board seeking to enter into such a partnership, upon request.
2019, c. 772.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-207.7. 4-H educational programs and activities; attendance

A. No student who misses a partial or full day of school while participating in a 4-H educational program or activity shall be counted as absent for the purposes of calculating average daily membership and each such student shall receive course credit in the same manner as he would for a school field trip, provided that:
1. Each local school board shall develop policies and procedures for such students to make up missed work;
2. Each local school board may determine the maximum number of school days per academic year that a student may spend participating in 4-H educational programs or activities to not be counted absent; and
3. No school shall provide course credit to a student pursuant this section if the student's participation in a 4-H educational program or activity occurs during scheduled Standards of Learning assessments or during any period of time that the student is suspended or expelled from school.
B. Upon request from a school principal or an assistant principal, an agent or representative from 4-H shall provide documentation as proof of a student's participation in an activity or program sponsored by 4-H.
2022, cc. 58, 59.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-207.8. Academic credit for work experience; fine arts programs; guidelines

The Board shall develop guidelines and policies for permitting any high school student in grades 11 and 12 to earn one-half standard unit of credit per semester for employment in certain fields or industries or participation in certain fine arts programs in which such student works or participates a certain minimum number of hours per week for each week of the semester, as determined by the Board. Such guidelines and policies shall include:
1. Standards and requirements for determining the eligibility of employment and fine arts programs for awarding academic credit, including eligibility criteria and approval procedures for specific employers and programs;
2. Standards for how the one-half unit of credit is to be awarded and policies for monitoring and evaluating student participation in and completion of approved employment or fine arts programs; and
3. Any other policies that the Board deems appropriate.
2023, c. 145.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-209. Employment counseling and placement services

A. Each school board shall make available to secondary students employment counseling and placement services to furnish information relating to the employment opportunities available to students graduating from or leaving the public schools in the school division. Such information shall include all types of employment opportunities, including, but not limited to, apprenticeships, the military, career education schools, and the teaching profession.
B. No fee, compensation or other consideration shall be charged to or received from any student utilizing such services.
C. In providing such services, the school board shall consult and cooperate with the Virginia Employment Commission, the Department of Labor and Industry, local business and labor organizations, and such career schools as may be approved by the Board.
D. The Board of Education may recommend methods for providing such services. The State Department of Education may provide assistance to school divisions in establishing and providing such services upon request.
Code 1950, § 22-40.1; 1975, c. 147; 1980, c. 559; 1990, c. 797; 1991, c. 295; 1999, c. 452.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-209.2. (Effective until date pursuant to Acts 2023, cc. 756 and 778, cl. 5) Programs and teachers in regional detention homes, certain local detention homes and state agencies and institutions

The Board shall prepare and supervise the implementation in regional detention homes and local detention homes a program designed to educate and train the children detained in the homes. In addition, the Board shall supervise those programs of evaluation, education, and training provided to school-age children by the Department of Health, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, the children's teaching hospital associated with the Eastern Virginia Medical School, the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Authority, the children's teaching hospital associated with the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Authority, and the University of Virginia Hospitals pursuant to the Board's standards and regulations as required by § 22.1-7.
The Board shall promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary to conform these programs with the applicable federal and state laws and regulations including teacher/student ratios and special education requirements for children with disabilities. The education programs in the relevant detention homes and state agencies and institutions shall be approved by the Board, and the Board shall prepare a budget for these educational programs that shall be solely supported by such general funds as are appropriated by the General Assembly for this purpose. Teacher staffing ratios for regional or local detention homes shall be based on a ratio of one teacher for every 12 beds based on the capacity of the facility; however, if the previous year's average daily attendance exceeds this bed capacity, the ratio shall be based on the average daily attendance at the facility as calculated by the Department from the previous school year.
The Board shall enter into contracts with the relevant state agency or institution or detention facility or the local school divisions in which the state agencies or institutions or the regional detention homes and the relevant local detention homes are located for the hiring and supervision of teachers.
In any case in which the Board enters into a contract with the relevant state agency or institution, the Department of Human Resource Management shall establish salary schedules for the teachers that are competitive with those in effect for the school divisions in which the agency or institution is located.
1987, c. 414; 1992, cc. 209, 439; 1994, c. 854; 2000, cc. 66, 657, 865; 2002, cc. 87, 478; 2008, cc. 46, 151; 2009, cc. 813, 840; 2022, c. 355.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-209.2. (Effective pursuant to Acts 2023, cc. 756 and 778, cl. 5) Programs and teachers in regional detention homes, certain local detention homes and state agencies and institutions

The Board shall prepare and supervise the implementation in regional detention homes and local detention homes a program designed to educate and train the children detained in the homes. In addition, the Board shall supervise those programs of evaluation, education, and training provided to school-age children by the Department of Health, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, the children's teaching hospital associated with the Eastern Virginia Medical School, the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Authority, the children's teaching hospital associated with the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Authority, and the University of Virginia Hospitals pursuant to the Board's standards and regulations as required by § 22.1-7.
The Board shall promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary to conform these programs with the applicable federal and state laws and regulations including teacher/student ratios and special education requirements for children with disabilities. The education programs in the relevant detention homes and state agencies and institutions shall be approved by the Board, and the Board shall prepare a budget for these educational programs that shall be solely supported by such general funds as are appropriated by the General Assembly for this purpose. Teacher staffing ratios for regional or local detention homes shall be based on a ratio of one teacher for every 12 beds based on the capacity of the facility; however, if the previous year's average daily attendance exceeds this bed capacity, the ratio shall be based on the average daily attendance at the facility as calculated by the Department from the previous school year.
The Board shall enter into contracts with the relevant state agency or institution or detention facility or the local school divisions in which the state agencies or institutions or the regional detention homes and the relevant local detention homes are located for the hiring and supervision of teachers.
In any case in which the Board enters into a contract with the relevant state agency or institution, the Department of Human Resource Management shall establish salary schedules for the teachers that are competitive with those in effect for the school divisions in which the agency or institution is located.
1987, c. 414; 1992, cc. 209, 439; 1994, c. 854; 2000, cc. 66, 657, 865; 2002, cc. 87, 478; 2008, cc. 46, 151; 2009, cc. 813, 840; 2022, c. 355.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-211. Operation of vacation schools and summer camps by school boards

Any school board or any two or more school boards acting in conjunction may establish and operate or cause to be established and operated, for the benefit of persons of school age, vacation schools or camps for the advancement of education, physical training, health, nutrition, the prevention of communicable diseases, or for any other purpose deemed by such board or boards to be beneficial to persons of school age requiring special training or attention or which will promote the efficiency of their respective school systems.
Such school board or boards may expend such sum or sums as may be reasonable and requisite for such purposes or may provide such sum or sums and permit the proper use of any school property, under reasonable safeguards, for the establishment and operation of a vacation school or camp conducted under the auspices and supervision of any other governmental agency approved by such school board or boards, for the benefit of persons of school age within the jurisdiction of such board or boards. Such activity shall have been included in the estimate of money deemed to be needed for public schools for the year in which such expenditure is made.
The establishment and operation of such school or camp shall also be approved, as to conditions affecting sanitation and safety, by the health authorities having jurisdiction of the area in which such vacation school or camp is located and conducted. Any vacation school or camp operated by such school board or boards or any other local agency, department or board shall be available to persons of school age within the applicable jurisdiction on a nondiscriminatory basis regardless of whether they attend public or private schools.
Code 1950, § 22-55; 1959, Ex. Sess., c. 79, § 1; 1973, c. 101; 1980, c. 559; 1989, c. 277; 1995, c. 244.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-212.1. Obligations of school boards

Pursuant to § 1-511, school boards shall have no obligation to teach the standard curriculum, except courses in foreign languages, in a language other than English. School boards shall endeavor to provide instruction in the English language which shall be designed to promote the education of students for whom English is a second language.
1981, c. 185; 1986, c. 466; 1996, c. 829; 2005, c. 839.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-212.1:1. Single-sex education

Consistent with constitutional principles, a school board may establish a single-sex school or class in the school division, if the school board makes available to pupils substantially equal coeducational schools or classes. Participation in such single-sex school or class shall not be required by the school division, and the school board shall ensure that participation by pupils in the single-sex school or class is voluntary. For the purposes of this section, participation by a pupil in a single-sex school or class is voluntary only if the school division also makes available to the pupil a substantially equal coeducational school or class.
1995, c. 582; 2009, c. 84.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-212.1:2. Green schools program; education programs to promote waste reduction and resource efficiency

A. To assist local school boards in the development and implementation of programs of instruction that comply with the provisions of subsection C of § 22.1-253.13:1, specifically relating to citizenship and environmental issues and geography necessary for responsible participation in American society and the international community, the Board of Education may cooperate with environmental groups, other relevant state agencies, such as, but not limited to, the Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Health, and other stakeholders in the development of a green schools program for Virginia. Any such green schools program shall focus on waste reduction through recycling and other mechanisms and educating students to help schools contain costs and to reduce waste production through resource efficiency.
B. In the development and implementation of any such program, the Board shall examine other states' green schools programs and shall receive input from parents, teachers, school administrators, school boards, business and industry leaders, and local governments. The Board shall also strive to identify businesses and other organizations that may provide support in the form of resources or funding for appropriate awards for any green schools program that may be implemented in the Commonwealth.
C. Nothing herein shall be construed to require the Board or any school board in the Commonwealth to implement a green school program or to imply or otherwise indicate that state or local funding is required to develop or implement any green school program.
2004, c. 882.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-212.2. Virtual Virginia

From such funds as are appropriated, the Department of Education shall establish a statewide electronic classroom to be known as the Virtual Virginia Program. Virtual Virginia shall be made available to every public high school in Virginia.
The Department may utilize the services of the Commonwealth's educational television stations and other providers, as well as any other appropriate technology for the purposes of implementing Virtual Virginia.
The services of this program shall be limited to educational purposes. Educational purposes shall include, but not be limited to, instruction in subject areas that are not available in all schools and in-service training for instructional, administrative and support personnel.
The Department may contract with one or more local school boards that have created online courses to make one or more such courses available to other school divisions through the Virtual Virginia Program. The Department shall approve all courses offered through Virtual Virginia, including those made available by local school boards to other school divisions. A school board that makes one or more of its online courses available to other school divisions through Virtual Virginia (i) shall not be considered a multidivision online provider pursuant to § 22.1-212.23 and (ii) may charge a per-course or per-student fee to school divisions to defray the costs of developing the course and providing course instruction using teachers employed by the offering school board. The Department shall approve any such fee schedule before a school board offers any such online courses through Virtual Virginia.
The Department shall establish the Virtual Learning Advisory Committee, which shall consist of one superintendent or his designee from each of the eight superintendent's regions, the Superintendent of Public Instruction or his designee, and such other members as the Department deems appropriate, not to exceed three additional members. The contractor that manages Virtual Virginia shall serve as a nonvoting ex officio member. The Committee shall advise the Department on (i) online courses, in-service training, and digital instructional resources that school divisions need to meet the Commonwealth's graduation requirements and (ii) strategic planning to expand blended and online learning opportunities in Virginia's public schools, including cost-effective access to high-need and low-demand courses, training, content, and digital resources.
1988, c. 87; 1998, c. 106; 2011, c. 216; 2014, c. 436.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-212.5. Objectives; definitions

A. In order to (i) stimulate the development of innovative programs within public education; (ii) provide opportunities for innovative instruction and assessment; (iii) provide parents and students with more options within their school divisions; (iv) provide teachers with a vehicle for establishing schools with alternative innovative instruction and school scheduling, management and structure; (v) encourage the use of performance-based educational programs; (vi) establish high standards for both teachers and administrators; and (vii) develop models for replication in other public schools, public charter schools may be established in Virginia as provided in this article.
B. As used in this article:
"At-risk pupil" means a student having a physical, emotional, intellectual, socioeconomic, or cultural risk factor, as defined in Board of Education criteria, which research indicates may negatively influence educational success.
"Public charter school" means a public, nonreligious, or non-home-based alternative school located within a public school division. A public charter school may be created as a new public school or through the conversion of all or part of an existing public school; however, no public charter school shall be established through the conversion of a private school or a nonpublic home-based educational program. A charter school for at-risk pupils may be established as a residential school.
"Regional public charter school" means a public charter school operated by two or more school boards and chartered directly by the participating school boards.
1998, cc. 748, 890; 2000, cc. 631, 712, 1028; 2004, c. 530; 2005, c. 928.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-212.5:1. Public Charter School Fund established

There is hereby created in the state treasury a special nonreverting fund to be known as the Public Charter School Fund, hereafter referred to as "the Fund." The Fund shall be established on the books of the Comptroller. Any gifts, grants, bequests, or donations from public or private sources shall be paid into the state treasury and credited to the Fund. Interest earned on moneys in the Fund shall remain in the Fund and be credited to the Fund. Any moneys remaining in the Fund, including interest thereon, at the end of each fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund but shall remain in the Fund. Moneys in the Fund shall be used solely for the purposes of establishing or supporting public charter schools in the Commonwealth that stimulate the development of alternative public education programs. Expenditures and disbursements from the Fund shall be made by the State Treasurer on warrants issued by the Comptroller upon written request signed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The Board of Education shall establish criteria for making distributions from the Fund to a public charter school requesting moneys from the Fund and may issue guidelines governing the Fund as it deems necessary and appropriate.
2007, c. 118.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-212.6:1. Applicability of other laws, regulations, policies, and procedures

A. Public charter schools are subject to all federal laws and authorities as set forth in this article and the charter contract with the local school board.
B. Public charter schools are subject to the same civil rights, health, and safety requirements applicable to other public schools in the Commonwealth, except as otherwise provided in this article.
C. Public charter schools are subject to the student assessment and accountability requirements applicable to other public schools in the Commonwealth, but nothing in this article precludes a public charter school from establishing additional student assessment measures that go beyond state requirements if the school's authorizer approves such measures.
D. Management committees of public charter schools are subject to and shall comply with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (§ 2.2-3700 et seq.).
E. No public charter school shall discriminate against any individual on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, ancestry, or need for special education services or any other unlawful basis, and each public charter school shall be subject to any court-ordered desegregation plan in effect for the school division.
F. No public charter school shall discriminate against any student on the basis of limited proficiency in English, and each public charter school shall provide students who have limited proficiency in English with appropriate services designed to teach such students English and the general curriculum, consistent with federal civil rights laws.
G. No public charter school shall engage in any sectarian practices in its educational program, admissions or employment policies, or operations.
2016, c. 770; 2020, c. 1137.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-212.8:1. Innovation Technical Advisory Group

The Department of Education may establish an Innovation Technical Advisory Group, comprised of individuals with experience in the establishment and operation of charter schools, college partnership laboratory schools, and virtual school programs, or it may retain the services of individuals with such experience to provide technical assistance and advice to the Board in carrying out its duties relating to charter schools, college partnership laboratory schools, and virtual school programs.
2012, c. 381.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-212.9. Review of public charter school applications

A. Public charter school applications shall be received and reviewed by the Board of Education and local school boards or, in the case of a regional public charter school, by all of the relevant school boards, as provided in subsection C. However, no charter school application that is initiated by one or more local school boards shall be subject to the provisions of subsection C.
The Board of Education and each local school board shall establish procedures for receiving, reviewing, and, in the case of local school boards, ruling upon applications. The Board of Education and local school boards shall post their procedures on their websites and make a copy of the procedures available to all interested parties upon request. If any such board finds the public charter school application is incomplete, the board shall request the necessary information from the charter applicant.
B. To provide appropriate opportunity for input from parents, teachers, citizens, and other interested parties and to obtain information to assist local school boards in their decisions to grant or deny a public charter school application, local school boards shall establish a procedure for public notice and to receive comment on public charter school applications. A local school board shall give at least 14 days' notice of its intent to receive public comment on an application.
C. Prior to submission of an application to a local school board for review, the public charter school applicant shall submit its proposed charter application to the Board of Education for its review, comment, and a determination as to whether the application meets the approval criteria developed by the Board. The Board's review shall examine such applications for feasibility, curriculum, financial soundness, and other objective criteria as the Board may establish, consistent with existing state law. The Board's review and comment shall be for the purpose of ensuring that the application conforms with such criteria, and the Board shall make a determination as to whether the application meets the approval criteria developed by the Board. Nothing in this section shall prevent a local school division from working with a charter school applicant before the application is submitted to the Board of Education for review and recommendation.
1998, cc. 748, 890; 2000, cc. 631, 1028; 2001, cc. 438, 469; 2002, c. 851; 2004, c. 530; 2010, cc. 393, 650; 2013, cc. 52, 225.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-212.10. Reconsideration and technical assistance; review by Board

A. If a local school board denies a public charter school application, or revokes or fails to renew a charter agreement, it shall provide to the applicant or grantee its reasons, in writing, for such decision, and it shall post such reasons on its website. A public charter school applicant whose application was denied, or a grantee whose charter was revoked or not renewed, shall be entitled to petition the local school board for reconsideration. The petition for reconsideration shall be filed no later than 60 days from the date the public charter school application is denied or the charter agreement is revoked or fails to be renewed. Such reconsideration shall be decided within 60 days of the filing of the petition.
B. Each local school board shall establish a process for reviewing petitions of reconsideration, which shall include an opportunity for public comment. The petition of reconsideration may include an amended application based on the reasons given by the local school board for such decision.
C. Prior to seeking reconsideration, an applicant or grantee may seek technical assistance from the Superintendent of Public Instruction to address the reasons for denial, revocation, or non-renewal.
D. Upon reconsideration, the decision of a local school board to grant or deny a public charter school application or to revoke or fail to renew a charter agreement shall be final and not subject to appeal. Following a local school board decision to deny a public charter school application or to revoke or fail to renew a charter agreement, the local school board shall submit documentation to the Board as to the rationale for the local school board's denial of the public charter school application or revocation of or failure to renew the charter agreement.
E. The Board has no authority to grant or deny a public charter school application or to revoke or fail to renew a charter agreement but may communicate any Board finding relating to the rationale for the local school board's denial of the public charter school application or revocation of or failure to renew the charter agreement based on the documentation submitted pursuant to subsection D in any school division in which at least half of the schools receive funding pursuant to Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, P.L. 89-10, as amended.
F. Nothing in this section shall prohibit an applicant whose application has been denied or a grantee whose charter has been revoked or not renewed from submitting a new application, pursuant to § 22.1-212.9.
1998, cc. 748, 890; 2000, cc. 631, 1028; 2010, cc. 393, 650; 2012, cc. 702, 720; 2017, c. 513.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-212.11. Public charter school restrictions

A. Local school boards may establish public charter schools within the school division. Priority shall be given to public charter school applications designed to increase the educational opportunities of at-risk students, and at least one-half of the public charter schools per division shall be designed for at-risk students; however, the one-half requirement shall not apply in cases in which an existing public school is converted into a public charter school that serves the same community as the existing public school, nor shall such public charter school conversions be counted in the determination of school division compliance with the one-half requirement.
B. Local school boards shall report the grant or denial of public charter school applications to the Board and shall specify the maximum number of charters that may be authorized, if any; the number of charters granted or denied; and whether a public charter school is designed to increase the educational opportunities of at-risk students.
C. Nothing in this article shall be construed to prevent a school that is the only school in the division from applying to become a public charter school.
1998, cc. 748, 890; 2000, cc. 631, 1028; 2002, cc. 851, 874; 2004, c. 530; 2009, c. 441; 2014, cc. 645, 693.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-212.12. Public charter school term; renewals and revocations

A. A charter may be approved or renewed for a period not to exceed five school years. A public charter school renewal application submitted to the local school board or, in the case of a regional public charter school, to the relevant school boards shall contain:
1. A report on the progress of the public charter school in achieving the goals, objectives, program and performance standards for students, and such other conditions and terms as the school board or boards may require upon granting initial approval of the charter application.
2. A financial statement, on forms prescribed by the Board, that discloses the costs of administration, instruction, and other spending categories for the public charter school and that has been concisely and clearly written to enable the school board or boards and the public to compare such costs to those of other schools or comparable organizations.
B. Local school boards may revoke a charter if the public charter school:
1. Violates the conditions, standards, or procedures established in the public charter school application;
2. Fails to meet or make reasonable progress toward achievement of the content standards or student performance standards identified in the charter application;
3. Fails to meet generally accepted standards of fiscal management; or
4. Violates any provision of law from which the public charter school was not specifically exempted.
C. Nothing in this section shall be construed to restrict the authority of local school boards to decline to renew a charter agreement.
1998, cc. 748, 890; 2000, cc. 631, 1028; 2002, c. 851; 2004, c. 530; 2012, cc. 702, 720.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-212.13. Employment of professional, licensed personnel

A. At the discretion of the local school board, charter school personnel may be employees of the local school board, or boards, granting the charter. Any personnel not employed by the local school board shall remain subject to the provisions of §§ 22.1-296.1, 22.1-296.2, and 22.1-296.4.
B. Professional, licensed education personnel may volunteer for assignment to a public charter school. Assignment in a public charter school shall be for one contract year. Upon request of the employee and the recommendation of the management committee of the public charter school, reassignment to the public charter school shall occur on an annual basis.
C. At the completion of each contract year, professional, licensed education personnel who request assignment to a public noncharter school in the relevant school division or who are not recommended for reassignment in the public charter school, other than for the grounds cited in § 22.1-307, shall be guaranteed an involuntary transfer to a public noncharter school in the school division according to the employment policies of the school division.
D. Professional, licensed personnel of a public charter school shall be granted the same employment benefits given to professional, licensed personnel in public noncharter schools in accordance with the policies of the relevant school board or boards.
E. School boards may employ such health, mental health, social services, and other related personnel to serve in residential charter schools for at-risk pupils as set forth in the charter agreement between such school board and the charter school; however, nothing herein shall require a school board to fund the residential or other services provided by a residential charter school.
1998, cc. 748, 890; 2000, cc. 631, 712, 1028; 2012, cc. 702, 720; 2016, c. 770.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-212.15. Report of public charter schools

The Board shall report the number of public charter schools established in the Commonwealth, as well as the number of charters denied, in its annual report to the Governor and the General Assembly pursuant to § 22.1-18.
1998, cc. 748, 890; 2000, cc. 631, 1028; 2002, cc. 851, 874; 2010, c. 61.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-212.16. Immunity

Public charter schools shall be immune from liability to the same extent as all other public schools in the Commonwealth, and the employees and volunteers in a public charter school are immune from liability to the same extent as the employees and volunteers in a public school.
2002, c. 874.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 22.1 - Education › Chapter 13 - Programs, Courses of Instruction and Textbooks › § 22.1-212.23. Definitions

As used in this article:
"Multidivision online provider" means (i) a private or nonprofit organization that enters into a contract with a local school board to provide online courses or programs through that school board to students who reside in Virginia both within and outside the geographical boundaries of that school division; (ii) a private or nonprofit organization that enters into contracts with multiple local school boards to provide online courses or programs to students in grades K through 12 through those school boards; or (iii) a local school board that provides online courses or programs to students who reside in Virginia but outside the geographical boundaries of that school division. However, "multidivision online provider" shall not include (a) a local school board's online learning program in which fewer than 10 percent of the students enrolled reside outside the geographical boundaries of that school division; (b) multiple local school boards that establish joint online courses or programs in which fewer than 10 percent of the students enrolled reside outside the geographical boundaries of those school divisions; (c) local school boards that provide online learning courses or programs for their students through an arrangement with a public or private institution of higher education; or (d) local school boards providing online courses or programs through a private or nonprofit organization that has been approved as a multidivision online provider.
"Online course" means a course or grade-level subject instruction that (i) is delivered by a multidivision online provider primarily electronically using the Internet or other computer-based methods and (ii) is taught by a teacher primarily from a remote location, with student access to the teacher given synchronously, asynchronously, or both.
"Virtual school program" means a series of online courses with instructional content that (i) is delivered by a multidivision online provider primarily electronically using the Internet or other computer-based methods; (ii) is taught by a teacher primarily from a remote location, with student access to the teacher given synchronously, asynchronously, or both; (iii) is delivered as a part-time or full-time program; and (iv) has an online component with online lessons and tools for student and data management.
An online course or virtual school program may be delivered to students at school as part of the regularly scheduled school day.
2010, cc. 537, 817.