School bds; examinations made available to students who satisfy compulsory school attendance rqmts.
Summary
HB2620 amends Virginia’s home instruction statute to add a new requirement that school boards make certain college- and career-readiness examinations available to students who are educated at home and to other students whose parents satisfy compulsory attendance requirements. Specifically, local school boards would have to make the AP, PSAT/NMSQT, and PreACT available, adopt written registration policies, notify families of deadlines, and inform low-income students about available financial assistance. The bill also clarifies that school divisions may not disclose home instruction documentation outside the local school division, except with written parental consent, while still allowing reporting of the total number of home-instructed students to the Superintendent.
The bill leaves the core home instruction framework in place, including annual notice to the division superintendent, curriculum description, and annual evidence of academic progress. It continues the existing probation-and-remediation process for students whose parents do not provide required evidence of progress, and preserves the religious exemption from school attendance. In effect, the measure expands access to standardized testing for home-schooled students and others meeting compulsory attendance requirements, while tightening privacy protections for information submitted to satisfy home instruction requirements.
Impact
HB2620 would directly affect Code of Virginia § 22.1-254.1, the statute governing home instruction, by adding subsection F on exam access and subsection G on confidentiality of submitted home instruction information. Local school boards would gain a new administrative duty to offer AP, PSAT/NMSQT, and PreACT testing opportunities to eligible students and to publish registration procedures and financial-aid notices. The bill would also limit disclosure of home instruction records by school divisions, reducing external access to parent- and student-provided compliance information.
Sentiment
The available vote history suggests the bill received generally favorable but not unanimous support in the House Education process. It was recommended for reporting by a 6-2 subcommittee vote and then reported from the full Education committee by a 16-6 vote, indicating a clear majority in favor of the measure with some opposition. No committee transcript is available, so the recorded votes are the main indicator of sentiment.
Contention
The likely points of contention are the new obligations placed on local school boards and the scope of access granted to students outside the traditional public school setting. Supporters appear to favor broader testing access for home-instructed students and privacy protections for families, while opponents may be concerned about administrative burden, costs, and whether the bill extends public-school testing resources to a wider group of students. The confidentiality provision may also draw attention because it restricts disclosure of information that school divisions collect to verify home instruction compliance.