HB473 • 2026

Public ed.; special ed. dispute resolution system, regional special education ombudsman established.

<p class=ldtitle>A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 22.1-214, 22.1-214.4, and 22.1-214.5 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1-214.6, relating to public education; special education dispute resolution system; administration, organization, oversight, and training; regional special education ombudsman established.</p>

Children Education

Enacted

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

Sponsor: Convirs-Fowler
Last action: 2026-02-18
Official status: Failed
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide detailed information about funding, specific training requirements, or accessibility details of the regional ombudsmen centers.

Special Education Dispute Resolution System and Ombudsmen

This bill updates Virginia’s special education dispute resolution system, expands duties for ombudsmen, and establishes regional special education ombudsman centers to assist in resolving disputes.

What This Bill Does

Requires the Board of Education to create a tiered dispute resolution process that encourages mediation for resolving special education issues.
Expands the responsibilities of the State Parent Ombudsman for Special Education by adding duties like conducting anonymous surveys and collaborating with other offices.
Adds new requirements for the Department of Education, including providing training on dispute resolution systems to parents and school staff.
Establishes four regional special education ombudsmen centers to assist parents and school personnel in understanding special education laws and resolving disputes.

Who It Names or Affects

Parents of children with special needs
Schools and school districts involved in special education programs
The Department of Education

Terms To Know

Dispute Resolution System: A set of procedures designed to help resolve disagreements about special education services.
Ombudsman: An official who investigates complaints and helps find solutions for people facing problems with government agencies or organizations.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how the regional ombudsmen centers will be funded.
It is unclear what specific training requirements are added for school personnel.
Details on how parents and schools can access these new services are not provided in the summary.

Amendments

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

HB473AHC1

2026-02-10 • Committee

K-12 Subcommittee Subcommittee Amendment

Plain English: The amendment limits dispute resolution prompts for special education disputes and ensures that required training is completed during paid hours, among other changes.

Dispute resolution prompts must be limited to checkbox selections or automated fields and cannot require narrative entries from IEP team members.
Training required of school personnel must be completed during paid contract hours with coverage provided by the school division if needed.
Implementation of dispute resolution systems will occur through existing communication channels at the school division level, not at individual schools.
The campaign to implement these changes does not require additional meetings or events facilitated by instructional staff.

Some specific details about how certain processes will be carried out are unclear and may need further explanation.

HB473AHC2

2026-02-10 • Committee

Education Amendment

Plain English: The amendment removes specific text from the bill related to special education dispute resolution and replaces it with a new section.

Removes certain details about hearings in the existing bill text.
Adds a new section (vii) that was not originally included.

The exact content removed is unclear from the amendment text alone, making it hard to know what specific changes are being made.
Without seeing the full context of lines 153-156 and line 160 in the original bill, it's difficult to understand the full impact of these changes.

HB473AH1

2026-02-11 • Committee

Education Amendment

Plain English: The amendment modifies sections of Virginia law related to special education dispute resolution, training requirements for school personnel, communication methods, and interactions with regional special education ombudsman centers.

Limits dispute resolution prompts to checkbox selections or automated fields only, without requiring narrative entries from IEP team members.
Requires that any required training for school staff be completed during paid work hours, ensuring no additional uncompensated workload is added.
Changes the implementation of a campaign to use existing communication channels at the division level instead of individual schools.
Specifies that requests made by regional special education ombudsman centers must go through the designated director or their representative.

The amendment text does not provide full details on all changes, such as specific training requirements or dispute resolution processes.

Bill History

2026-02-18 House
Left in Committee Appropriations
2026-02-13 Elementary & Secondary Education
Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (7-Y 0-N)
2026-02-11 Elementary & Secondary Education
Assigned HAPP sub: Elementary & Secondary Education
2026-02-11 Education
Reported from Education with amendment(s) and referred to Appropriations (20-Y 0-N 1-A)
2026-02-10 K-12 Subcommittee
Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) and referring to Appropriations (10-Y 0-N)
2026-02-10 Education
House committee offered
2026-02-10 House
House committee offered
2026-02-04 House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB473)
2026-01-30 K-12 Subcommittee
Assigned HED sub: K-12 Subcommittee
2026-01-12 House
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101753D
2026-01-12 Education
Referred to Committee on Education

Official Summary Text

Public education; special education dispute resolution system; administration, organization, oversight, and training; regional special education ombudsman established.
Makes several revisions and updates to the special education dispute resolution system, services, and resources in the Commonwealth, including by (i) requiring the Board of Education to prescribe procedures providing for a tiered dispute resolution system that encourages the use of mediation as an informal means of resolving disputes relating to special education and related services; (ii) expanding the duties of the State Parent Ombudsman for Special Education, including by requiring it to develop and implement an anonymous evaluation survey for individuals after contacting or using the State Parent Ombudsman for Special Education, collaborate with the Office of the Children's Ombudsman, provide certain training to its staff by a neutral, qualified expert, and provide additional support, resources, and technical assistance to the Parent Training and Information Center; (iii) expanding the duties of the Department of Education relating to the special education dispute resolution system, including requirements relating to oversight of school division complaints, the provision of neutral, qualified IEP facilitators and mediators, and the provision of training on the tiered dispute resolution system to parents, school personnel, and all special education mediators and hearing officers; and (iv) directing the Department of Education to establish four regional special education ombudsman centers for the purpose of serving as a resource for parents and school personnel on matters relating to the special education dispute resolution system and assisting with the monitoring and oversight of school division and school compliance with federal and state laws and regulations relating to special education dispute resolution.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB 473

EDUCATION

1. Line 153, introduced, after
(vi)

strike

the remainder of line 153, all of lines 154 and 155, and through
(vii)
on line 156

EDUCATION

2. Line 160, introduced, after
hearings; and

strike

the remainder of line 160

insert

(vii)

EDUCATION

3. Line 197, introduced, after
law.

insert

Any such dispute resolution prompt shall be limited to checkbox selections or automated fields, or both, and no such prompt shall require narrative entries by IEP team members.

EDUCATION

4. Line 207, introduced, after
disputes.

insert

Any such training required of school personnel shall be completed during paid contract hours, and the school division shall provide coverage or compensation as needed to ensure such training does not increase uncompensated workload for instructional staff.

EDUCATION

5. Line 215, introduced, after
implemented

strike

at the school level

insert

by each school division through existing school division and school communications channels

EDUCATION

6. Line 216, introduced, after
centers.

insert

Implementation of such campaign shall not require additional meetings or events facilitated by instructional staff.

EDUCATION

7. Line 245, introduced, after
and

strike

schools

insert

, upon request of the school division's special education director or such director's designee, for school divisions

EDUCATION

8. After line 254, introduced

insert

C. Any request for information, meetings, records, or assistance directed to a school division by a regional special education ombudsman center established pursuant to subsection A shall be made through the school division's special education director or such director's designee.