Restorative Schools in Virginia Pilot Program; established, report, effective date.

Public schools; student discipline; Restorative Schools in Virginia Pilot Program; established. Establishes the Restorative Schools in Virginia Pilot Program (the Program), to be administered by the Department of Education (the Department), for the purpose of addressing school discipline issues and promoting evidence-based restorative practices, as that term is defined in the bill, in public schools in the Commonwealth by awarding grants to a school division in each superintendent's region in the Commonwealth to be used in developing and implementing a comprehensive plan to integrate evidence-based restorative practices in such school divisions in accordance with the provisions of the bill. The bill directs the Department to (i) develop the application process by which a school board may apply to receive funds pursuant to the Program; (ii) establish criteria for the selection and award of grants pursuant to the Program; and (iii) develop a process for evaluating the progress and performance of each school division selected to receive a grant pursuant to the Program in implementing such evidence-based restorative practices and satisfying the Program requirements set forth in the bill. The bill requires any such school division to (a) establish a learning collaborative for the purpose of developing a comprehensive plan for implementing evidence-based restorative practices in accordance with the provisions of the bill and (b) submit to the Department by July 1 of each year immediately following any year for which it receives a grant a report on its progress in implementing such evidence-based restorative practices for the preceding school year. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026.