School Counselors

This changes a part of the Code of Virginia, that makes rules about public school staff and school counselors.

• Code of Virginia: Collection of all the laws and rules in the state of Virginia. It organizes these laws by topic, like education, transportation, or health, so people can easily find and understand the rules that affect them. It’s like the official rulebook for how things are done in Virginia.

• School boards have to hire people with a license to teach in certain areas.

  • School board: A group of people who make big decisions about how schools in your area run. They help decide things like what kids learn, how schools spend money, and who gets to be the principal. They work to make schools better for everyone.

• School boards also have to have enough licensed staff to make sure there are enough teachers compared to the amount of students.

• This bill sets class size limits for kindergarten through grade 12, with a heads-up to parents if the number of students in a class goes over the limits.

• The number of teachers to students have to be within limits for different learning disabilities, when teaching students with intellectual disabilities 

• There must be no more than 21 students to one teacher in middle and high schools. 

• Middle and high school teachers will get one planning period each day.

• This bill sets a number of the lowest amount of staff a school can have for every 1,000 students.

• State money is available for extra support services for students that need extra support.

• Math teachers can be hired to get students ready for algebra

• The bill includes special jobs to support students learning English, including teachers who speak more than one language.

• School boards need to hire reading teachers based on the amount of students

• Schools have to have at least one full-time role for principals, assistant principals, librarians, and school counselors.

  • School Counselor: A person at school who helps students with their problems, like making friend, or feeling better if they’re sad or worried. They also help with learning how to study and think about future goals, like what they want to be when they grow up. They’re there to listen and support.

• Local school boards can hire counselors with temporary permission to be a counselor if needed.

• Schools have to have a certain amount of support teachers and tech support staff in elementary schools based on the number of students in the school. 

• School boards can hire more than the lowest amount of staff that the law tells them too.

• Combined schools must have enough staff for the highest grade in the school.

  • Combined schools: When two or more schools join together to become one school. This might happen so all the students can learn in the same place, use the same building, and have the same teachers.

• Schools have to report on the number of students and teachers in a school every year

• This bill says support services schools need to be the best they can be.

• Local school boards don’t have to count students from virtual school programs when thinking about which schools need more staff.