Schools across Virginia may soon become hubs for social services.
The idea that a community school might also be a place where social services are offered was at the heart of a bill offered by Delegate Sam Rasoul, a Democrat from Roanoke. A previous law established the concept, and now Rasoul says his bill has funding to make it a reality.
"What we wanted to do was to ensure that there are services that are efficiently delivered to our students who are in need," says Rasoul. "And so, conceptually imagine campuses of the future where we actually have a doctor's office, a dental chair, mental health services that are offered on the same campus – not only being more efficient but more accessible to our students."
Some people oppose the idea that schools should be hubs for social services.
"Is it going to be used to broaden the mission and the scope of schools that could put in place services that may be given without parental consent or that may undermine parental consent," asks Todd Gathje at the Family Foundation. "And is this something that we really need to be zeroing in on academic achievements?"
The bill, which will become law this summer, requires the creation of a new Office of Community Schools to start making services available at schools across Virginia.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
