An Act to amend and reenact § 22.1-70.2 of the Code of Virginia, relating to student instruction; internet safety; certain topics.
HB171 amends Virginia’s law governing acceptable internet use policies for public schools, and extends one related requirement to certain private schools that receive federal internet-access funds. The bill requires each local school board to review and update its internet use policy at least every two years, and to ensure the policy prohibits illegal online activity, limits student access to harmful material, and uses filtering technology to block child pornography and obscenity on school computers. It also requires the policy to include an internet safety component in student instruction.
The bill expands that instructional component by directing schools to teach modern digital safety topics, specifically including online scams, misinformation, and content generated by artificial intelligence. School divisions must post their policies on their websites and certify annual compliance to the Department of Education. The Superintendent of Public Instruction must also issue guidance to school divisions on these instructional programs, and superintendents are charged with implementing and enforcing the policies.
The bill updates § 22.1-70.2 of the Code of Virginia by adding new required topics to school internet safety instruction and by imposing annual compliance certification for local school divisions. It also clarifies that private schools meeting compulsory attendance requirements and accepting federal internet-access funds must use filtering technology to block child pornography and obscenity on school computers. In practice, the measure affects local school boards, school superintendents, the Department of Education, and certain private schools by formalizing policy review, posting, reporting, and instructional obligations.
The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded votes, so there is no documented debate or opposition in the provided materials. Based on the enacted text, the bill appears to have been treated as a straightforward school-safety and digital-literacy update, with a focus on protecting students from harmful online content and modern internet risks. The inclusion of AI-generated content and misinformation suggests an emphasis on current concerns in education policy.
No specific points of contention are reflected in the provided committee or voting history. Potential areas that could have prompted discussion, however, include the scope of required filtering technology, the burden of annual certification and policy review on school divisions, and the addition of instructional topics such as misinformation and AI-generated content. The bill also reaches private schools that accept federal internet-access funds, which could raise implementation questions for those institutions.