RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Governor Glenn Youngkin has signed a bill into law that will require the Board of Education to develop a curriculum about hazing prevention for ninth or 10th graders in Virginia public schools.
The law requires the Board of Education to develop Standards of Learning and curriculum guidelines for research-based hazing prevention instruction.
The instruction will be provided as a part of physical or health education programs to ninth-grade or 10th-grade students.
According to the law, it “requires such hazing prevention instruction to include age-appropriate, extensive, and current education about hazing, including examples of hazing, the dangers of hazing, including the consequences of alcohol intoxication and school policies and laws related to hazing, including criminal penalties and bystander intervention.”
The law requires the instruction to be offered in person and requires each school board to provide options for virtual participation for any student who is enrolled in an online or virtual physical or health education program.
Each school board will be required to provide instruction during the school year by following the Board of Education’s adoption of the revised Standards of Learning.
In addition, the law requires that the Board of Education posts guidance and instructional documents about research-based hazing prevention for the use of local school boards.
The law will go into effect on July 1.
