2011 Proposed Legislation Program

Here is the 2011 Proposed Legislation Program along with ballots PTSA members may use to vote.  The action items and policy statement s are detailed here as well as in the ballot document (linked at the bottom of this post).

LEGISLATION ACTION ITEMS (LAI): are requests for the introduction, passage, or defeat of specific legislation by the General Assembly and/or regulations by the Virginia Board of Education or other appropriate agencies.

POLICY STATEMENTS (PS): are statements of Virginia PTA on general issues and may be used as the basis for addressing issues before the General Assembly, Virginia Board of Education or other appropriate agencies.

LEGISLATION ACTION ITEM #1:

Virginia PTA supports state funding for school districts to implement the Bike Smart Virginia Schools program into curriculum as part of the federally mandated Local Wellness Policy required by the Federal School Meal Program under the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act.

Rationale:

The Bike Smart Virginia Schools program as a curriculum works to instill lifelong healthy habits while learning bicycle and pedestrian safety education and as an important first step in drivers’ education.

Statistics bear out that the younger the rider, the more likely they are to have problems controlling their bicycles and understanding how traffic operates.  In fact, 80 percent of childhood bike-related fatalities are due to the rider’s error.  An effective bike education program has significant potential to reduce childhood injuries and fatalities from bicycle crashes. Bike Smart Virginia Schools is a Virginia-specific bicycle education curriculum designed to teach children safe biking behavior in an effort to reduce the numbers for injuries and fatalities. This is accomplished by having a unit of on-the bike instruction (including: helmet safety, crash avoidance, bike handling skills, rules of the road etc.) as part of a school’s Health and P.E. curriculum.  The curriculum is designed to meet criteria for the Standards of Learning (SOL). Bike Smart Virginia Schools is a collaborative project with the Virginia Departments of Education, Health and Motor Vehicles and the non-profit organization, BikeWalk Virginia.

Bicycle safety programs have been adopted as part of the Health and Physical Education curriculum in school districts throughout Virginia (http://www.vahealth.org/injury/bike/BikeSmartVaSchools.htm), and we see benefits to more school districts incorporating the Bike Smart Virginia Schools curriculum into their physical education program.

Effective bicycle and pedestrian safety curriculums include at least the following basics:

• how to cross the street safely –stop, look and listen
• basic bike and helmet fitting – especially important for parents
• how to position yourself properly on the road – the three positions
• how to let drivers know your intentions – be predictable
• how to safely negotiate turns and intersections – hand signals, signs, traffic awareness
• the basics of traffic law – right of way and rules of the road
• skills practice – 3-6 adult-led hours on a bike; one hour walking in a neighborhood

LEGISLATION ACTION ITEM #2:

VA PTA seeks legislation that would expand gang-free zones to include any school bus stop or publicly owned or operated community center, park, library, or hospital.

Rationale:

In 2006, because of increased evidence of gang-related activity including recruitment of elementary, middle and high school students, VA PTA adopted a position that would make school property gang-free zones. Current law stipulates higher penalties for participating in prohibited gang activity in these gang-free zones.  Participating in gang activity in those locations is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of two years.  Likewise, gang recruitment or using force to get a person to join a gang or remain in a gang in those locations are offenses subject to higher penalties. The law sets out the following definitions:

“Criminal street gang”—a group of three or more persons who meet the following

criteria:

• Have as one of its primary objectives or activities the commission of criminal activities;
• Have an identifying name or symbol; and
• Engage in the commission of two or more “predicate criminal acts” of which at least one is an act of violence.

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