A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-253.13:4 of the Code of Virginia, relating to high school graduation requirements; hands-on bleeding control training.
HB941 amends Virginia’s high school graduation requirements in § 22.1-253.13:4, with a particular focus on adding hands-on bleeding control training to the list of required student safety instruction. The bill also restates and organizes a broad set of graduation and diploma provisions governing standard diplomas, applied studies diplomas, credit accommodations for students with disabilities, alternative pathways to graduation, and the use of virtual courses, work-based learning, industry credentials, and integrated learning courses.
In addition to the bleeding control requirement, the bill reinforces several existing graduation policy areas: career and technical education, college- and career-readiness pathways, computer science substitutions, world language substitutions, diploma seals, and reporting of graduation and dropout data. It also requires school boards and the Department of Education to provide various notices and guidance to parents and students, including multilingual guidance for families of students with disabilities and information about testing accommodations for English language learners.
If enacted, HB941 would amend the state’s graduation standards statute and require local school boards to ensure students receive hands-on bleeding control training as part of emergency first aid/CPR/AED instruction. It would also continue to shape how school divisions award diplomas and credits, especially for students with disabilities, English language learners, and students pursuing career and technical education or alternative credentialing pathways. The bill affects the Virginia Board of Education, local school boards, students, parents, and school counselors by expanding or clarifying obligations related to graduation planning, accommodations, substitutions, and reporting.
No committee transcript or vote record is provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or partisan division in the available materials. The bill’s subject matter suggests a generally education- and safety-oriented policy approach, with the bleeding control training provision likely intended to be viewed as a student safety measure. However, because the bill was left in the House Appropriations Committee, the available record indicates it did not advance, though the reason for that outcome is not documented here.
The most likely areas of contention are the added instructional mandate for hands-on bleeding control training and the broader graduation-requirement framework, which can impose implementation costs and administrative burdens on school divisions. Other potentially sensitive provisions include the treatment of students with disabilities, the use of Applied Studies diplomas versus standard diplomas, substitutions of computer science for world language credits, and the extent to which local school boards must provide alternative pathways, accommodations, and notices. No specific objections or supporters are recorded in the provided discussion materials.