State Government Issues
This page was last updated on February 12, 2026
ODACS Legislative Update, 2026 Session
Following is a summary of bills that ODACS is following during the 2026 General Assembly.
School Choice; VDOE Control of Private Schools
HB 359 - Placing Christian Schools under the Control of the Virginia Department of Education
HB 359 seeks to create a broad and conflated definition for the term public funds and then uses that legally flawed definition as a pretext to place as many Virginia private schools as possible under the direct control of the Virginia Department of Education. Among the dangerous provisions in the bill are curriculum control, SOL testing requirements, VDOE control of faculty and staff, VDOE oversight of finances, VDOE control of disciplinary policies, a parent opt-out provision for religious instruction, and expanded "non-discrimination" requirements. The bill poses a serious threat to the Religious Freedoms that our churches and schools enjoy under the First Amendment and would violate the principle of Separation of Church and State.
The bill was passed by the House Education Committee on a party-line vote of 13-7. However, it failed to pass in the House Appropriations Committee. Instead, it was carried over to the 2027 General Assembly.
ODACS Opposes HB 359
HB 359, Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute
ODACS Legislative Update, 2025 Session
Daycare Licensure
HB 1785 - Church-Run Preschools; Not Required to Be Licensed
HB 1786 - Religiously Exempt Preschools and Daycares; Limits on VDOE Inspection Authority
HB 1785 and HB 1786 were bills that would provide church-run preschools and daycares relief from government overreach. Currently, church-run preschools and daycares may operate with an exemption from licensure but are nevertheless subjected to increasing government oversight and, in the opinion of ODACS, increasing government overreach. HB 1785 would have given our academic 3- and 4-year-old kindergarten classes the same protection from government interference as is afforded to our other church-run ministries, such as Sunday school and VBS. HB 1786 would have limited the Virginia Department of Education's inspection authority over our Religiously Exempt daycares and preschools only to the occasion of a complaint. Both bills failed to pass.
ODACS Supported HB 1785 and HB 1786.
Talking Points for HB 1785 and HB 1786
Religiously Exempt Child Care Centers Are Safe!
Other Recent Memos
September 30, 2025 - ODACS Comments to the Virginia Assembly of Independent Baptists
July 15, 2022 - Open Letter to Governor Youngkin; ODACS Concerns about Virginia Childcare Policy
July 6, 2022 - ODACS Update on New Law Regarding Administration of Epinephrine
August 13, 2021 - ODACS Update; Response to Mask Mandate for Schools
November 13, 2020 - ODACS Update on Governor's Amended Executive Orders
November 13, 2020 - Amended Executive Order 63 (Face Coverings)
November 13, 2020 - Amended Executive Order 67 (Phase III Restrictions)
September 29, 2020 - DOLI Temporary COVID-19 Standard for Employers
September 24, 2020 - ODACS Summary of VDSS Updated Phase III Childcare Guidance
September 24, 2020 - VDSS Updated Phase III Childcare Guidance, Group Size Limitations Lifted
August 10, 2020 - Rationale for ODACS Reopening Advice to Schools
August 5, 2020 - ODACS Advice to School about Reopening, Updated
July 6, 2020 - Update on Phase Guidance for Virginia Schools
June 30, 2020 - ODACS Advice to Schools about Reopening for the 2020-2021 School Year
June 30, 2020 - ODACS Reply to the Superintendent of Public Instruction
June 24, 2020 - Response to ODACS Questions from the Superintendent of Public Instruction
June 9, 2020 - VDH Guidance for School Reopening Plans
June 9, 2020 - Health Commissioner's Order, Private Schools Must Submit Reopening Plans to VDOE
ODACS Legislative Update, 2024 Session
Daycare Licensure
HB 222 - Child Day Centers Operated by Religious Institutions; Exemption from Licensure
SB 76 - Child Day Centers Operated by Religious Institutions; Exemption from Licensure
HB 222 and SB 76 were companion bills that would have provided church-run preschools and daycares greater freedom from government oversight. Currently, church-run preschools and daycares may operate with an exemption from licensure but are nevertheless subjected to increasing government oversight and, in the opinion of ODACS, increasing government overreach.
ODACS Supported HB 222 and SB 76. Both bills failed to pass out of subcommittee.
Talking Points for HB 222 and SB 76
Religiously Exempt Child Care Centers Are Safe!
ODACS Legislative Update, 2023 Session
School Choice
HB 1508 - Virginia Education Success Account Program
HB 1508 would have allowed parents to establish an Education Savings Account using 95% of the applicable per-pupil state funding. Parents could then have used those funds to customize their children's education, including tuition to private schools. The bill included excellent protections for the autonomy of private schools that enroll students who benefit from the program. HB 1508 did not pass.
ODACS Supported HB 1508.
HB 1701 - Background Checks for Private School Teachers
HB 1701 clarified that the Virginia Council for Private Education may have access to background check information for private school teachers for purposes of accreditation. ODACS supported the substitute bill, which addressed concerns about the potential for unintended consequences that may result from some of the proposed language. HB 1701 passed and became law on July 1, 2023.
ODACS Supported the Substitute Version of HB 1701.
ODACS Legislative Update, 2022 Session
Following is a summary of several bills that ODACS followed during the 2022 General Assembly.
School Choice
HB 293 - Education Savings Account Program
HB 293 would have allowed parents to establish an Education Savings Account (ESA), using funding that would have been used to educate the child in a public school. Funds in the account could be used for tuition and other expenses at a private school. HB 293 did not pass.
ODACS Supported HB 293.
HB 333 - Student Education Accounts
HB 333 would allow any local school board to establish a program of Student Education Accounts, similar to the ESA's proposed by HB 333. HB 333 was defeated in committee.
ODACS Supported HB 333.
HB 982 - Education Savings Account Program; Education Improvement Scholarship Tax Credit Program
HB 982 would have established an Education Savings Account program. It would also would have amended the Education Improvement Scholarship Tax Credit program by increasing the tax credit for donations to scholarship foundations from 65% to 100%. HN 982 did not pass.
ODACS Supported HB 982.
School Security Officers
HB 8 - Duties of School Security Officers; Veterans May Serve as School Security Officers
HB 8 would have opened the way for school security officers, in both public and private schools, to take on other duties in addition to their security duties. It also would have made it easier for public and private schools to hire retired veterans as school security officers. HB 8 was passed by the House but defeated in a Senate committee.
ODACS Supported HB 8.
ODACS Legislative Update, 2020 Session
Following is a summary of several bills that ODACS followed during the 2020 General Assembly.
Child Care
HB 1012, SB 578, and SB 599 - Shifting Purview of Childcare Policy from VDSS to VDOE
HB 1012 and SB 578 were omnibus bills that proposed a major shift in Virginia's childcare policy. ODACS had a number of concerns, which are set forth in our position statement. SB 599 proposed an alternative, setting up a study group to examine the issue. The study group would have included organizations whose voices and perspectives to date have been excluded from the discussions surrounding the proposal. HB 1012 and SB 578 were passed into law and became effective on July 1, 2021.
ODACS Opposed HB 1012 and SB 578.
ODACS Supported SB 599
ODACS Position Statement on HB 1012, SB 578, and SB 599
HB 1235 and SB 927 - Clarification of Staff-Child Ratios for Religiously Exempt Daycares and Preschools
HB 1235 and SB 927 clarified a confusing sentence in the Code, related to staff-child ratios for Religiously Exempt child day centers. A number of ministries around the state had been encountering disagreement with local licensing inspectors regarding the interpretation of this sentence. Some ministries had even incurred undue inconvenience and expense.
ODACS Supported HB 1235 and SB 927.
Update - On March 27, Governor Northam signed both HB 1235 and SB 927 into law! The bills became effective on July 1, 2020.
ODACS Position Statement on HB 1235 and SB 927
School Choice
HB 521 - Repeal of the Educational Improvement Scholarship Tax Credit
The EISTC is a program that uses privated funding to assist low-income families with private school tuition. HB 521 would have eliminated that program from Virginia law.
ODACS Opposed HB 521.
Washington Post Article, Advocating Stronger Standards in Child Day Homes
Blog Post, Addressing Incorrect Claims in the WP Article
Washington Post Article, Documenting Tragic Deaths in Licensed and Unlicensed Virginia Daycares
Graduation Requirements, Definition of High School Credit, and Other State Standards
While private schools in Virginia are not legally bound to the same graduation requirements as public schools, Christian schools should be aware of changes in state requirements and understand how their own requirements compare. AACS accredited schools must meet the state's graduation requirements. Use the following links to learn more.
Current Virginia Standards of Accreditation
Current Guidance Document for SOA
Department of Education, SOA Web Site
Other Resources
FREE BROCHURE from CLA - Pastors, Pulpits, and Politics
Immunization Reporting Web Site
Immunization Reporting, Step by Step Guide