Standards of Learning; incorporation of media literacy and digital citizenship.
Summary
HB2460 amends Virginia’s Standards of Learning statute to direct the Board of Education to consider incorporating media literacy and digital citizenship into the Standards of Learning and related curriculum frameworks during regularly scheduled revisions. The bill defines those terms and places them alongside the Board’s existing authority to set academic standards across subject areas. It does not create a standalone media literacy course requirement, but it signals that these topics should be evaluated for inclusion at each grade level when the Standards of Learning are reviewed.
Beyond the media literacy provision, the bill restates and expands a broad set of instructional expectations for Virginia public schools. It reinforces requirements for evidence-based literacy instruction, reading intervention, CPR and first aid instruction, hazing prevention, career and technical education, financial literacy, physical activity, student services, remediation, and career investigation courses. It also continues directives for local school boards to align curricula with the Standards of Learning and to provide programs for students who are at risk, gifted, limited English proficient, or in need of alternative educational options.
Impact
The bill amends § 22.1-253.13:1 of the Code of Virginia, which governs Standard 1 of the Standards of Quality and the Board of Education’s Standards of Learning. Its principal legal effect is to add media literacy and digital citizenship to the list of topics the Board must consider during periodic SOL revisions, including associated curriculum frameworks and digital learning standards. The bill leaves implementation discretion with the Board, but it may influence future SOL updates, curriculum guidance, and local instructional planning. It also preserves and reinforces numerous existing statutory duties for school divisions related to literacy, remediation, career readiness, physical education, and student support services.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly well received. It passed the House overwhelmingly and cleared the Senate unanimously, with strong committee support at each stage. The vote pattern suggests little partisan or procedural resistance to the measure as enacted. The absence of recorded committee testimony in the provided materials limits insight into detailed debate, but the legislative history indicates general agreement on the value of adding media literacy and digital citizenship to Virginia’s education standards.
Contention
The main point of potential contention is not whether media literacy and digital citizenship are worthwhile, but how far the state should go in embedding them into the Standards of Learning. The bill uses a softer directive—requiring the Board to “consider” incorporating these standards during regular revisions—rather than mandating immediate adoption, which may reflect a compromise between advocates for stronger digital education requirements and those preferring Board flexibility. More broadly, the bill’s extensive restatement of existing instructional mandates touches many education policy areas, but no specific opposition is reflected in the available vote record.