HB 624 Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

School boards; student diabetes care and management in schools, divisionwide plan required.

Summary
School boards; student diabetes care and management in schools; divisionwide plan required. Requires each school board to develop, amend as necessary, and implement a divisionwide plan for the care, at school during regular school hours, of each public elementary or secondary school student who is diagnosed with diabetes in the school division, to become effective beginning with the 2027–2028 school year, in accordance with the requirements enumerated in the bill, including that each such divisionwide plan must: (i) give consideration to, and incorporate, where appropriate, the guidelines contained in the Department of Education's Diabetes Management in Schools: Manual for Unlicensed Personnel (the Manual); (ii) include procedures for ensuring that each school building in the school division that is attended by one or more students diagnosed with diabetes meets the minimum staffing requirements set forth in current law for employees trained in the administration of insulin and glucagon; (iii) ensure that the provision or assistance with the provision of diabetes-related care by licensed or unlicensed school board employees is consistent with the guidance contained in the most recent revision of the Manual and applicable law; and (iv) provide opportunities for parental involvement and input in the process of providing students with diabetes-related care and developing or amending the divisionwide plan.The bill also expands the diabetes care and management that each school board is required, pursuant to current law, to permit each student diagnosed with diabetes to independently provide to require each school board to permit each such student to carry with him and use a cell phone or smart device, consistent with applicable law, to monitor, address, or contact his parent, the school, or his health care provider on diabetes-related matters.The bill directs the Department of Education, in consultation with the Department of Health and other enumerated stakeholders, to (a) no later than January 1, 2027, conduct a comprehensive review of the Manual and revise it as necessary in accordance with the requirements set forth in the bill and (b) at least biennially, review the Manual, revise it as necessary to ensure currency and accuracy, and post it in a publicly accessible location on its website. Finally, the bill directs the Department of Education, in collaboration with the Department of Health, to develop, periodically review, post on its website, and make available to each school board informational materials for parents on type 1 and type 2 diabetes and directs each school board to make such informational materials available to the parent of each student enrolled in the school division at the beginning of each school year.The bill contains technical amendments.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action Feb 11, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Education Substitute · 3 edits
MINOR
The bill was amended from its original introduction to a committee substitute version, primarily to clarify rules on who can refuse health duties and to expand who can assist with insulin pumps. The most significant change is that unlicensed employees (like instructional aides) are now explicitly allowed to decline future health-related duties with reasonable notice, whereas the original text only protected them from punishment for refusing. Additionally, the substitute version broadens the group of people authorized to help students insert insulin pumps to include any employee trained under specific American Diabetes Association standards, not just nurses and licensed practical nurses.
Scope change
The scope of personnel authorized to assist with diabetes care was expanded to include unlicensed employees meeting specific training standards, and the scope of protection for employees refusing health duties was clarified to allow them to opt out of future assignments.
REQUIREMENT

Employees without a specific duty to deliver health services can now formally decline future health-related tasks by providing reasonable notice to the school division, whereas the original text only stated they could not be disciplined for refusing.

ELIGIBILITY

The list of personnel authorized to assist students with inserting or reinserting insulin pumps was expanded to include any school employee trained according to the most recent American Diabetes Association Standards of Care, in addition to registered nurses and licensed practical nurses.

TECHNICAL

The text was reformatted from a standard bill introduction layout to a 'Substitute' version, which typically reflects changes made by a committee to improve clarity or address concerns before final passage.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
7
Key actions
2
Committee
4
Feb 10, 2026
Lower · Passed
Subcommittee recommends incorporating (Voice Vote)
lower
Feb 10, 2026
Lower · Passed
House subcommittee offered
lower
Feb 5, 2026
Committee
Assigned HED sub: K-12 Subcommittee
lower
Jan 13, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Education
lower
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors