Senate Rejects Parental Notification Bill

By Catherine Leth, Capital News Service Tuesday, February 22, 2011

RICHMOND – The Senate rejected legislation Monday requiring school officials to contact a student’s parents if the student “is likely” to be suspended. Current law requires parental notification only at the time of suspension.

Sen. Richard Stuart, R-Montross, criticized House Bill 1548 because it requires that parents be notified before any disciplinary decisions are made.

“One thing is very, very clear: This places an untenable burden on the school administrators,” Stuart said. “The reason is they simply cannot predict the future, and that’s what the bill requires them to do.”

Sen. Thomas Norment, R-Williamsburg, called the wording in HB 1548 “amorphous and ambiguous.” He said the phrase “is likely” would be “absolutely lethal” during any legal proceedings stemming from the policy.

“For those of us who have practiced law, dealing with a standard of ‘is likely’ is probably a language that none of us speak or even begin to understand,” Norment said.

Supporters of the bill said opposing senators were “trying to complicate” the issue. Sen. Janet Howell, D-Reston, said the proposal would be a step in the right direction.

“Sometimes things are simpler than they seem,” Howell said. “Parents want to be involved, should be involved, and we shouldn’t put up any barriers to that.”

Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax, spoke in favor of HB 1548. He has three children enrolled in Fairfax County Public Schools.

Peterson pointed to a recent controversy in Fairfax involving two students who committed suicide after being punished for school policy violations.

Some members of the Fairfax County School Board say harsh school policies may have contributed to the students’ deaths. The citizen group Fairfax Zero Tolerance Reform has been pushing community awareness of the issue.

In a statement posted online, Superintendent Jack Dale fired back, suggesting that the county focus on treating teen depression rather than blaming the school system.

Petersen said HB 1548 would help restore Fairfax County Public Schools’ reputation.
“Where we do have an opportunity to get parents involved, we need to do it,” Petersen said. “It’s going to increase parental confidence in the system, and I think that’s highly necessary.”

HB 1548, which was sponsored by Delegate Kaye Kory, D-Falls Church, had passed the House on a 98-0 vote on Feb. 3. It failed in the Senate on a 12-28 vote Monday.