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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>85044</law_id><section_number>22.1-298.8</section_number><catch_line>Public elementary and secondary school teachers; certain training activities; requirements and limitations; index</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="22.1">Education</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="15">Teachers, Officers and Employees</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="2">Terms of Employment Generally</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> As used in this section, &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">non-academic training activity</span>&#x201D; means any training activity in which any public <span class="dictionary">elementary</span> or secondary school teacher is required to participate that is not related to the teacher&#x2019;s instructional, academic, or curricular duties. &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Non-academic training activity</span>&#x201D; does not include any requirement relating to licensure. <a id="paragraph-304813" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/22.1-298.8/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> Notwithstanding any other provision of <span class="dictionary">law</span>: <a id="paragraph-304814" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/22.1-298.8/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B1" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">1.</span> No public <span class="dictionary">elementary</span> or secondary school teacher shall be required to participate more frequently than once within six months of employment with the applicable <span class="dictionary">school board</span> and once every five years thereafter in any <span class="dictionary">non-academic training activity</span>, provided, however, that participation in additional training relating to secure mandatory test violations as set forth in &#xA7;&#xA7; <a class="law" title="Action for violations related to secure mandatory tests" href="/22.1-19.1/">22.1-19.1</a> and <a class="law" title="Violations related to secure mandatory tests" href="/22.1-292.1/">22.1-292.1</a> may be required upon the determination of the <span class="dictionary">school board</span> or <span class="dictionary">division superintendent</span> that such additional training is necessary to comply with federal or state <span class="dictionary">law</span> or to remediate misconduct. Each teacher who completes any such training shall sign a written attestation that the teacher has been trained in and understands the relevant subject matter. <a id="paragraph-304815" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/22.1-298.8/#B1"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B2" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">2.</span> The total frequency and duration of non-academic training activities in which each public <span class="dictionary">elementary</span> or secondary school teacher is required to participate pursuant to (i) state <span class="dictionary">law</span> or regulation or (ii) policy or regulation of the applicable <span class="dictionary">school board</span> shall not exceed 25 hours every five years. <a id="paragraph-304816" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/22.1-298.8/#B2"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> The provisions of subsection B shall not apply to any <span class="dictionary">non-academic training activity</span> or other training activity in which any public school teacher is required to participate pursuant to federal <span class="dictionary">law</span> or regulation. <a id="paragraph-304817" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/22.1-298.8/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="D"><p><span class="prefix-number">D.</span> Any <span class="dictionary">non-academic training activity</span> in which a public <span class="dictionary">elementary</span> or secondary school teacher voluntarily participates shall not count toward the maximum number of hours of non-academic training activities in which a public <span class="dictionary">elementary</span> or secondary school teacher may be required to participate pursuant to subdivision B 2. <a id="paragraph-304818" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/22.1-298.8/#D"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="E"><p><span class="prefix-number">E.</span> The <span class="dictionary">Department</span> shall establish and maintain an index of each training in which any public <span class="dictionary">elementary</span> and secondary school teacher in the Commonwealth is required to participate pursuant to state or federal <span class="dictionary">law</span> or regulation, including training required as a condition of licensure by the <span class="dictionary">Department</span>. Such index shall include information on the classification of teacher required to complete each training; the topic, length, and frequency of each training activity; and the total number of hours of training that each teacher is required to complete in a specific period of time. The <span class="dictionary">Department</span> shall review and update such index annually, when a training is added, or when an existing training on the index is changed in length or frequency to ensure that the information therein is accurate. The <span class="dictionary">Department</span> shall post such index in an easily and publicly accessible format and location on its website. <a id="paragraph-304819" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/22.1-298.8/#E"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>2023, c. 641; 2025, cc. 477, 489, 643.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
