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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>78870</law_id><section_number>16.1-309</section_number><catch_line>Penalty</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>22.1-289</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="16.1">Courts Not of Record</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="11">Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Courts</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="12">Confidentiality and Expungement</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> Except as provided in &#xA7;&#xA7; <a class="law" title="(Effective until July 1, 2026) Fingerprints and photographs of juveniles" href="/16.1-299/">16.1-299</a>, <a class="law" title="Confidentiality of Department records" href="/16.1-300/">16.1-300</a>, <a class="law" title="Confidentiality of juvenile law-enforcement records; disclosures to school principal and others" href="/16.1-301/">16.1-301</a>, <a class="law" title="Confidentiality of court records" href="/16.1-305/">16.1-305</a> and <a class="law" title="Circuit court records regarding juveniles" href="/16.1-307/">16.1-307</a>, any person who (i) files a <span class="dictionary">petition</span>, (ii) receives a <span class="dictionary">petition</span> or has access to court records in an official capacity, (iii) participates in the investigation of <span class="dictionary">allegations</span> which form the basis of a <span class="dictionary">petition</span>, (iv) is interviewed concerning such <span class="dictionary">allegations</span> and whose information is derived solely from such interview or (v) is present during any court proceeding, who discloses or makes use of or knowingly permits the use of identifying information not otherwise available to the public concerning a juvenile who is suspected of being or is the subject of a proceeding within the <span class="dictionary">jurisdiction</span> of the <span class="dictionary">juvenile court</span> pursuant to subdivisions A 1 through 5 or subdivision A 7 of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Jurisdiction; consent for abortion" href="/16.1-241/">16.1-241</a> or who is in the <span class="dictionary">custody</span> of the State <span class="dictionary">Department</span> of Juvenile Justice, which information is directly or indirectly derived from the records or files of a <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement agency, court or the <span class="dictionary">Department</span> of Juvenile Justice or acquired in the course of official duties, is guilty of a Class 3 <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span>. <a id="paragraph-282515" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/16.1-309/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> The provisions of this section shall not apply to any <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement officer or school employee who discloses to school personnel identifying information concerning a juvenile who is suspected of committing or has committed a <span class="dictionary">delinquent act</span> that has met applicable criteria of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Intake; petition; investigation" href="/16.1-260/">16.1-260</a> and is committed or alleged to have been committed on school property during a school-sponsored activity or on the way to or from such activity, if the disclosure is made solely for the purpose of enabling school personnel to take appropriate disciplinary action within the school setting against the juvenile. Further, the provisions of this section shall not apply to school personnel who disclose information obtained pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA7; <a class="law" title="Disclosure of disposition in certain delinquency cases" href="/16.1-305.1/">16.1-305.1</a> and <a class="law" title="Receipt, dissemination and maintenance of records of certain law-enforcement information" href="/22.1-288.2/">22.1-288.2</a>, if the disclosure is made in compliance with those sections. <a id="paragraph-282516" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/16.1-309/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1977, c. 559; 1978, c. 626; 1979, c. 481; 1989, cc. 520, 733; 1993, cc. 645, 889; 1994, cc. 835, 913; 1996, cc. 755, 914; 2003, c. 119; 2017, c. 623.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
