School division accessibility challenges and barriers; summary and plan, report.

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify penalties for schools that do not submit their reports on time.

School Accessibility Reports

This bill requires school boards to review and report accessibility challenges for students with disabilities, and for the Department of Education to create a summary plan and recommendations.

What This Bill Does

• Requires each school board or division superintendent to review accessibility issues in their schools by August 1, 2026.
• Schools must report any barriers that prevent students with disabilities from fully participating in activities.
• The Department of Education will compile all reports and create a summary document.
• The Department must also make a plan for full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act across Virginia's schools by November 1, 2026.

Who It Names or Affects

• School boards and division superintendents
• Students with disabilities in public elementary and secondary schools

Terms To Know

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

A federal law that requires places like schools to be accessible for people with disabilities.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if a school fails to comply.
• It is unclear how the recommendations will be funded or implemented after November 1, 2026.

Official Summary Text

School division accessibility challenges and barriers; reports, summary, and plan.
Requires each school board or division superintendent to review and report to the Department of Education no later than August 1, 2026, certain challenges and barriers relating to the accessibility of public elementary and secondary school buildings and grounds in the local school division. The bill requires the Department to consolidate all such reports into a summary document and submit (i) such document, (ii) a plan for achieving full compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 across all school divisions in the Commonwealth, and (iii) any legislative and budgetary recommendations for fully executing such plan to the Chairs of the Senate Committee on Education and Health, the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, the House Committee on Appropriations, and the House Committee on Education no later than November 1, 2026.

Current Bill Text

A BILL to amend and reenact the first enactment of Chapter 566 of the Acts of Assembly of 2025, relating to school division accessibility challenges and barriers; reports, summary, and plan.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the first enactment of Chapter 566 of the Acts of Assembly of 2025 is amended and reenacted as follows:

1.
§ 1. Each school board or division superintendent, in consultation with such other stakeholders as it deems appropriate, shall review the extent to which (i) public elementary and secondary school buildings and grounds in the local school division present accessibility challenges and barriers for individuals with disabilities, including challenges and barriers that may prevent such individuals from fully participating in school activities; (ii) challenges in access to programming and supports exist for individuals with disabilities at public elementary and secondary schools in the local school division; (iii) such schools have begun or plan to address and eliminate all such challenges and barriers; and (iv) state agencies can assist such schools to address and eliminate all such challenges and barriers and fully comply with all applicable state and federal laws. Each school board or division superintendent shall report the findings of such review
and any associated recommendations
to the Department of Educ
ation
(the Department)
no later than
August
1, 2026,
and the Department shall c
onsolidate all such reports into a summary document and submit
(a)
such document,
(b)
a plan for achieving full compliance with
the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (
42 U.S.C. § 12131 et seq.)
across all school divisions in the Commonwealth
,

and
(c)
any
legislative and budgetary recommendations for
fully executing such plan
to the Chairs of the Senate Committee on Education and Health
, the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, the House Committee on Appropriations,
and the House Committee on Education no later than November 1,
2025
2026
.