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HB705 • 2026

Health Ed. SOL & Curriculum Framework; Board of Education to include water safety instruction.

An Act to require the Board of Education to include a program of instruction on water safety in its next regularly scheduled revision of the Health Education Standards of Learning and Curriculum Framework.

Education
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Hayes
Last action
2026-04-06
Official status
Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide a specific timeline or implementation details.

Health Ed. SOL & Curriculum Framework; Board of Education to include water safety instruction

This law requires the Board of Education to develop guidelines for water safety education during their next revision of health standards and curriculum.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the Board of Education to add a program on water safety in its next update of Health Education Standards of Learning and Curriculum Framework.
  • Guidelines must cover awareness of water conditions, safe behaviors around water, preventing drowning risks, proper use of flotation devices, and importance of swimming in monitored areas.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Board of Education
  • Elementary school students

Terms To Know

Standards of Learning (SOL)
Rules set by the Board of Education that say what students should learn in each grade.
Curriculum Framework
A plan for teaching and learning that includes goals, content, and methods to help teachers follow SOLs.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify when the next revision of health standards will happen.
  • It is unclear how schools will implement these guidelines in their current curriculum.

Amendments

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

HB705AC

2026-03-12 • Conference

Conference Report

Plain English: The amendment recommends rejecting a Senate proposal and accepting the original bill to require water safety instruction in health education standards.

  • Rejects the Senate's proposed changes to House Bill No. 705.
  • Accepts the original version of the bill that requires the Board of Education to include water safety instruction in health education standards.
  • The amendment does not provide details about what specific changes were made by the Senate and why they are being rejected, making it hard to understand the full context without additional information.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 204 (effective 7/1/2026)

  2. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 204 (effective 7/1/2026)

  3. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0204)

  4. 2026-03-31 House

    Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026

  5. 2026-03-31 Governor

    Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

  6. 2026-03-31 House

    Signed by Speaker

  7. 2026-03-31 House

    Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026

  8. 2026-03-31 Governor

    Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

  9. 2026-03-31 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB705)

  10. 2026-03-30 Senate

    Signed by President

  11. 2026-03-30 House

    Enrolled

  12. 2026-03-30 House

    Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB705ER)

  13. 2026-03-13 House

    Conference report agreed to by House (77-Y 17-N 0-A)

  14. 2026-03-13 Senate

    Conference report agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N 0-A)

  15. 2026-03-12 Conference

    Conference Report released

  16. 2026-03-04 Senate

    Conferees appointed by Senate

  17. 2026-03-04 Senate

    Senate Conferees: Perry, Pekarsky, Craig

  18. 2026-03-04 House

    Conferees appointed by House

  19. 2026-03-04 House

    House Conferees: Hayes, Simonds, Kilgore

  20. 2026-03-02 House

    House acceded to request

  21. 2026-02-27 Senate

    Senate requested conference committee

  22. 2026-02-27 Senate

    Senate insisted on substitute Block Vote (39-Y 0-N 0-A)

  23. 2026-02-25 House

    Senate substitute rejected by House (0-Y 97-N 0-A)

  24. 2026-02-23 Senate

    Read third time

  25. 2026-02-23 Senate

    Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute

  26. 2026-02-23 Senate

    Passed Senate with substitute Block Vote (38-Y 0-N 0-A)

  27. 2026-02-23 Education and Health

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB705)

  28. 2026-02-23 Education and Health

    Education and Health Substitute agreed to

  29. 2026-02-23 Senate

    Passed Senate with substitute Block Vote (38-Y 0-N 0-A)

  30. 2026-02-20 Senate

    Rules suspended

  31. 2026-02-20 Senate

    Rules suspended

  32. 2026-02-20 Senate

    Passed by for the day

  33. 2026-02-20 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

  34. 2026-02-20 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  35. 2026-02-19 Education and Health

    Reported from Education and Health with substitute (15-Y 0-N)

  36. 2026-02-19 Senate

    Senate committee offered

  37. 2026-02-19 Education and Health

    Committee substitute printed 26108241D-S1

  38. 2026-02-11 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)

  39. 2026-02-11 Education and Health

    Referred to Committee on Education and Health

  40. 2026-02-10 House

    Read third time and passed House (82-Y 16-N 0-A)

  41. 2026-02-09 House

    Read second time

  42. 2026-02-09 House

    committee substitute agreed to

  43. 2026-02-09 House

    Engrossed by House - committee substitute

  44. 2026-02-06 House

    Read first time

  45. 2026-02-04 Education

    Reported from Education with substitute (17-Y 4-N)

  46. 2026-02-04 Education

    Committee substitute printed 26107000D-H1

  47. 2026-02-04 Education

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB705)

  48. 2026-02-03 K-12 Subcommittee

    Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (9-Y 1-N)

  49. 2026-02-03 K-12 Subcommittee

    House subcommittee offered

  50. 2026-01-30 K-12 Subcommittee

    Assigned HED sub: K-12 Subcommittee

  51. 2026-01-23 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB705)

  52. 2026-01-13 House

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26103870D

  53. 2026-01-13 Education

    Referred to Committee on Education

Official Summary Text

Board of Education; Health Standards of Learning; water safety.
Requires the Board of Education, during its next regularly scheduled revision of the Health Education Standards of Learning and Curriculum Framework, to develop and make available to each school board guidelines for a program of instruction on water safety to be provided as a part of any health education instruction provided to elementary school students. This bill is identical to SB 151.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
An Act to require the Board of Education to include a program of instruction on water safety in its next regularly scheduled revision of the Health Education Standards of Learning and Curriculum Framework.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1.
§ 1. The Board of Education, during its next regularly scheduled revision of the Health Education Standards of Learning and Curriculum Framework, shall develop and make available to each school board guidelines for a program of instruction on water safety to be provided as a part of any health education instruction provided to elementary school students and that shall include instruction on:
1. Awareness of water conditions;
2. Safe behaviors in and around the water; and
3. Preventing and reducing the risk of drowning and the risk of injury, including instruction on the proper use of flotation devices and the importance of swimming in areas monitored by a lifeguard.