                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION (§ 22.1-227.1)

A. The Board shall incorporate into career and technical education the Standards
of Learning for mathematics, science, English, and social studies, including
history, and other subject areas as may be appropriate. The Board may also
authorize, in its regulations for accrediting public schools in Virginia, the
substitution of industry certification and state licensure examinations for
Standards of Learning assessments for the purpose of awarding credit for career
and technical education courses, where appropriate.

B. The Board shall also develop a plan for increasing the number of students
receiving industry certification and state licensure as part of their career and
technical education. The plan shall include an annual goal for school divisions.
Where there is an accepted national industry certification for career and
technical education instructional personnel and programs for automotive
technology, such certification shall be mandatory.

C. With such funds as may be appropriated for such purpose, there shall be
established, within the Department, a unit of specialists in career and
technical education. The unit shall (i) assist in developing and revising local
career and technical curriculum to integrate the Standards of Learning, (ii)
provide professional development for career and technical instructional
personnel to improve the quality of career and technical education, (iii)
conduct site visits to the schools providing career and technical education, and
(iv) seek the input of business and industry representatives regarding the
content and direction of career and technical education programs in the public
schools of the Commonwealth.

D. The Board shall develop guidelines for the establishment of High School to
Work Partnerships, hereafter referred to as &#8220;Partnerships,&#8221; between
public high schools and local businesses to create opportunities for high school
students to (i) participate in an apprenticeship, internship, or job shadow
program in a variety of trades and skilled labor positions or (ii) tour local
businesses and meet with owners and employees. These guidelines shall include a
model waiver form to be used by high schools and local businesses in connection
with Partnership programs to protect both the students and the businesses from
liability.
			Each local school board may establish Partnerships or delegate the authority
to establish Partnerships to the local school division&#8217;s career and
technical education administrator or his designee, in collaboration with the
school counselor office of each public high school in the school division, and
shall educate high school students about opportunities available through such
Partnerships.
			Students who miss a partial or full day of school while participating in
Partnership programs shall not be counted as absent for the purposes of
calculating average daily membership, but each local school board shall develop
policies and procedures for students to make up missed work and may determine
the maximum number of school days per academic year that a student may spend
participating in a Partnership program.

E. Each public middle school and high school, regardless of whether such school
offers career and technical education courses, may establish career and
technical education student organizations, except in the case of any such
organization that is established as a federally chartered corporation pursuant
to an act of Congress.

HISTORY: 1999, cc. 435, 442; 2001, c. 483; 2002, c. 167; 2008, c. 150; 2011, c.
388; 2013, cc. 56, 500; 2016, cc. 720, 750; 2018, cc. 142, 388; 2019, cc. 139,
796; 2024, c. 776; 2025, c. 201.