One monstrosity disguised as legislation that became law after Democrats seized control of the Virginia House of Delegates in 2019 gave schools the power to not report misdemeanor crimes — including sexual assaults — to police.
We all know how that turned out.
Despite a majority of voters repudiating their shortsighted policy, Democrats in the General Assembly’s lower chamber are hellbent to see it remain law.
The Daily Wire reports:
On February 1 of this year, the GOP majority-led House of Delegates passed a bill to repeal the law 59 to 40. Now the measure will head to the Senate – where Democrats have a slim majority.
“[The bill] is too broad,” Democratic Delegate Sam Rasoul said last Monday, as reported by WRIC. “The first step in the school-to-prison pipeline is the referral to law enforcement and we want to do everything we can to be mindful about that referral process.”
Democratic Sen. Jennifer McClellan, who sponsored the 2020 law, said previously: “It was disproportionately children of color and children with disabilities who were getting caught up in the school-to-prison pipeline for things that could be handled through the discipline process or through intervention with the children involved.”
The largest teachers union in the state, the Virginia Education Association, also supported Northam’s law while pushing the “school-to-prison pipeline” idea. “It’s time we move away from a one-size-fits-all approach to reporting and tap into the experience and expertise of our front-line school principals,” then-President Jim Livingston said.