HB178 • 2026

Certified student support agencies; DOE to assess impact of developing program for students.

An Act to direct the Department of Education to assess the impact of developing a program to provide student support programs to students enrolled in a public elementary or secondary school through certified student support agencies; report.

Education Privacy Taxes

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Anthony
Last action: 2026-04-13
Official status: Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on funding or penalties, leaving room for interpretation.

Department of Education to Study Student Support Programs

This act requires the Department of Education to study how a program using certified student support agencies could help students in public schools.

What This Bill Does

Requires the Department of Education to assess the impact and feasibility of developing a program that provides student support programs through certified student support agencies.
The assessment must consider rules for memorandums of understanding between these nonprofits and school boards, including privacy policies and background checks.
It also considers the feasibility of establishing a certification process for these nonprofits and potential compliance monitoring mechanisms.
The Department is required to estimate costs and staffing needs for implementing such a program.

Who It Names or Affects

Public elementary and secondary schools in Virginia
Nonprofit organizations that want to help students

Terms To Know

Certified student support agency: A nonprofit organization certified by the state to provide extra help for students.
Student support program: Services that help at-risk students, like tutoring or mentoring.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how much funding will be provided for the Department to conduct this study.
It is unclear what specific rules and penalties will be put in place for these nonprofits once they are certified.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HB178AC

2026-03-13 • Conference

Conference Report

Plain English: The amendment recommends rejecting a previous Senate version of HB178 and accepting a new substitute amendment to resolve disagreements.

Rejects the Senate's original amendment to HB178.
Accepts a new substitute amendment to address differences between the House and Senate versions.

The official text does not provide details about the content of the new substitute amendment, making it hard to explain specific changes.
Without additional context or the full text of the new substitute amendment, the exact impact on HB178 cannot be fully described.

HB178H2

2026-03-13 • Conference

Conference Report Substitute

Plain English: The amendment directs the Virginia Department of Education to assess the feasibility and impact of a program that uses certified student support agencies to provide services for at-risk students in public schools.

Adds requirements for memorandums of understanding between school boards and certified student support agencies, including documentation, policies on privacy and background checks, consent procedures, and secure disposal of personal information.
Includes considerations about the feasibility of establishing a certification process for these agencies, compliance monitoring mechanisms, penalties for noncompliance, and cost estimates.

The amendment does not specify how the Department will implement or enforce the requirements it assesses.

Bill History

2026-04-13 Governor
Approved by Governor-Chapter 573 (effective 7/1/2026)
2026-04-13 Governor
Approved by Governor-Chapter 573 (effective 7/1/2026)
2026-04-13 Governor
Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0573)
2026-03-31 House
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026
2026-03-31 Governor
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
2026-03-31 House
Signed by Speaker
2026-03-31 House
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026
2026-03-31 Governor
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
2026-03-31 House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB178)
2026-03-30 Senate
Signed by President
2026-03-30 House
Enrolled
2026-03-30 House
Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB178ER)
2026-03-14 House
Conference report agreed to by House (62-Y 35-N 0-A)
2026-03-14 Senate
Conference report agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-03-13 Conference
Conference Report released
2026-03-12 Senate
Senate Conferees: Williams Graves, Favola, Peake
2026-03-12 Senate
Conferees appointed by Senate
2026-03-12 House
House acceded to request
2026-03-12 House
Conferees appointed by House
2026-03-12 House
House Conferees: Anthony, LeVere Bolling, O'Quinn
2026-03-11 Senate
Senate requested conference committee
2026-03-11 Senate
Senate insisted on substitute
2026-03-11 Senate
Senate insisted on substitute Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-03-10 House
Senate substitute rejected by House (0-Y 99-N 0-A)
2026-03-09 Senate
Read third time
2026-03-09 Senate
Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute
2026-03-09 Senate
Engrossed by S
2026-03-09 Education and Health
Education and Health Substitute agreed to
2026-03-09 Senate
Passed Senate with substitute Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-03-06 Senate
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
2026-03-06 Senate
Passed by for the day
2026-03-05 Senate
Rules suspended
2026-03-05 Senate
Passed by for the day
2026-03-05 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-03-05 Senate
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
2026-03-04 Finance and Appropriations
Reported from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)
2026-03-03 Education and Health
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB178)
2026-02-27 Education and Health
Senate committee offered
2026-02-27 Education and Health
Committee substitute printed 26108821D-S1
2026-02-26 Education and Health
Reported from Education and Health with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N)
2026-02-19 Education
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB178)
2026-02-18 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
2026-02-18 Education and Health
Referred to Committee on Education and Health
2026-02-17 House
Read third time and passed House (60-Y 35-N 0-A)
2026-02-16 House
Read second time
2026-02-16 House
committee substitute agreed to
2026-02-16 House
Engrossed by House - committee substitute
2026-02-13 House
Read first time
2026-02-11 Education
House committee offered
2026-02-11 Education
Reported from Education with substitute (14-Y 7-N)
2026-02-11 Education
House committee offered
2026-02-11 Education
Committee substitute printed 26107317D-H1
2026-02-03 K-12 Subcommittee
Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (7-Y 3-N)
2026-02-03 K-12 Subcommittee
House subcommittee offered
2026-02-02 K-12 Subcommittee
House subcommittee offered
2026-01-20 K-12 Subcommittee
House subcommittee offered
2026-01-20 K-12 Subcommittee
House subcommittee offered
2026-01-19 K-12 Subcommittee
Assigned HED sub: K-12 Subcommittee
2026-01-06 House
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102387D
2026-01-06 Education
Referred to Committee on Education

Official Summary Text

Department of Education; assessment; certified student support agencies; report.
Requires the Department of Education (the Department) to assess the impact of developing a program to provide student support programs to students enrolled in a public elementary or secondary school through certified student support agencies, as defined in the bill. The bill requires the Department, in conducting such assessment, to consider (i) a framework by which a certified student support agency would enter into a memorandum of understanding with a school board for the purpose of providing student support programs, as defined in the bill, and suggested components of such memorandums of understanding, such as (a) documentation establishing the organization's nonprofit status, (b) a description of each student support program that such organization provides, (c) policies and procedures relating to privacy, background checks, mandated reporting, and the transmission, collection, use, and disposal of student personal information, and (d) consent forms and procedures to be used by such student support programs to obtain the necessary consent from the parent of any student under 18 years of age; (ii) the feasibility of establishing and administering a certification process for certified student support agencies; (iii) potential compliance monitoring and enforcement mechanisms and subsequent penalties for noncompliance to ensure that each certified student support agency complies with such program; (iv) policies and procedures for the secure disposal of a student's personal information upon such student's withdrawal from a student support program, upon the cessation of any such program, or upon such student's graduation or transfer from the school division; and (v) cost estimates, including staffing needs, for the development and implementation of such program. The bill requires the Department to submit a report on its findings to the Chairs of the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and Education and Health and the House Committees on Appropriations and Education no later than November 1, 2026. This bill is identical to SB 190.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

An Act to direct the Department of Education to assess the impact of developing a program to provide student support programs to students enrolled in a public elementary or secondary school through certified student support agencies; report.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1.
§ 1. As used in this act:
"Certified student support agency" means a nonprofit organization certified by the Commonwealth to provide student support programs to students enrolled in a public elementary or secondary school.
"Student support program" means a program administered for the purpose of providing direct services to at-risk students, including housing stabilization, case management, tutoring or instructional support, youth mentoring and development, or summer enrichment services.
§ 2. That the Department of Education (the Department) shall assess the impact of developing a program to provide student support programs to students enrolled in a public elementary or secondary school through certified student support agencies. In conducting such assessment, the Department shall consider (i) a framework by which a certified student support agency would enter into a memorandum of understanding with a school board for the purpose of providing student support programs and suggested components of such memorandums of understanding, such as (a) documentation establishing the organization's nonprofit status, (b) a description of each student support program that such organization provides, (c) policies and procedures relating to privacy, background checks, mandated reporting, and the transmission, collection, use, and disposal of student personal information, and (d) consent forms and procedures to be used by such student support programs to obtain the necessary consent from the parent of any student under 18 years of age; (ii) the feasibility of establishing and administering a certification process for certified student support agencies; (iii) potential compliance monitoring and enforcement mechanisms and subsequent penalties for noncompliance to ensure that each certified student support agency complies with such program; (iv) policies and procedures for the secure disposal of a student's personal information upon such student's withdrawal from a student support program, upon the cessation of any such program, or upon such student's graduation or transfer from the school division; and (v) cost estimates, including staffing needs, for the development and implementation of such program. The Department shall submit a report on its findings to the Chairs of the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and Education and Health and the House Committees on Appropriations and Education no later than November 1, 2026.