Teacher Mental Health Training Requirements for Public Schools
Summary
Virginia HB38 was enacted on April 2, 2026, amending state law to require full-time public school teachers and relevant personnel to complete mental health awareness training that addresses the needs of youth at high risk of mental health challenges. Training must follow evidence-based best practices developed by the American Psychological Association. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026.
What changed
Virginia HB38 amends existing state law requiring mental health awareness training for public school teachers and personnel. The bill adds specific content requirements: training must now address the needs of youth populations at high risk of experiencing mental health challenges and disorders, and must be based on evidence-based best practices developed by the American Psychological Association. The bill retains existing law's requirement that school boards determine which personnel must complete training and adds an anti-discrimination provision prohibiting biased or discriminatory treatment of any youth population deemed high-risk.
Public schools in Virginia must ensure all full-time teachers and school board-determined relevant personnel complete compliant mental health awareness training by July 1, 2026. School boards should review current training programs to verify alignment with APA evidence-based best practices and ensure content addresses high-risk youth populations. Training administrators should update curriculum accordingly and establish tracking mechanisms for completion compliance.
What to do next
- Review current mental health awareness training programs for alignment with APA evidence-based best practices
- Update training curriculum to address needs of youth at high risk of mental health challenges and disorders
- Establish tracking system to ensure all full-time teachers and relevant personnel complete required training by July 1, 2026
Source document (simplified)
ChangeBridge / Virginia / HB38 Enacted HB38 House Bill Enacted 2026-04-02
Public schools; mental health awareness training and instruction, requirements.
Public schools; mental health awareness training and instruction; requirements. Requires each teacher and other relevant personnel, as determined by the applicable school board, employed on a full-time basis to complete mental health awareness training that addresses the needs of youth populations that are at a high risk of experiencing mental health challenges and disorders in accordance with evidence-based best practices developed by the American Psychological Association. Current law requires such teachers and personnel to complete mental health awareness training but does not contain any requirements relating to the specific topics such training must address. The bill prohibits any of its provisions or any policy adopted in accordance with its provisions from being construed to permit biased or discriminatory treatment of any youth population deemed to be at a high risk of experiencing mental health challenges and disorders.
Bill Details
State Virginia
Session 2026 Regular Regular Session
Chamber House
Official Source lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB38
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Sponsors
Rozia Henson (Rep - D) Bonita Anthony (Rep - D) Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (Sen - D) Gretchen Bulova (Rep - D) Katrina Callsen (Rep - D) Nadarius Clark (Rep - D) Joshua Cole (Rep - D) Margaret Franklin (Rep - D) Debra Gardner (Rep - D) Jackie Glass (Rep - D) C.E. Hayes (Rep - D) Karen Keys-Gamarra (Rep - D) Alfonso Lopez (Rep - D) Garrett McGuire (Rep - D) Marcia Price (Rep - D) Irene Shin (Rep - D) Kathy Tran (Rep - D)
Action History
2026-04-02 Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0047) 2026-04-02 Approved by Governor-Chapter 47 (effective 7/1/2026) 2026-03-10 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 2026-03-10 H Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026 2026-03-06 S Signed by President 2026-03-06 H Signed by Speaker 2026-03-06 H Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB38) 2026-03-06 H Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB38ER) 2026-03-06 H Enrolled 2026-03-02 S Passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A) 2026-03-02 S Read third time 2026-02-27 S Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) 2026-02-27 S Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (37-Y 0-N 0-A) 2026-02-27 S Rules suspended 2026-02-26 S Reported from Education and Health (9-Y 6-N) 2026-02-19 S Assigned Education sub: Public Education 2026-01-30 H Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB38) 2026-01-28 S Referred to Committee on Education and Health 2026-01-28 S Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) 2026-01-27 H Read third time and passed House (68-Y 31-N 0-A) 2026-01-26 H Read second time and engrossed 2026-01-23 H Read first time 2026-01-21 H Reported from Education (16-Y 6-N) 2026-01-20 H Subcommittee recommends reporting (9-Y 1-N) 2026-01-19 H Assigned HED sub: K-12 Subcommittee 2025-12-23 H Referred to Committee on Education 2025-12-23 H Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101402D
Votes
2026-01-20 Subcommittee recommends reporting (9-Y 1-N) Yea: 9 Nay: 1 2026-01-21 Reported from Education (16-Y 6-N) Yea: 16 Nay: 6 2026-01-27 Read third time and passed House (68-Y 31-N 0-A) Yea: 68 Nay: 31 2026-02-26 Reported from Education and Health (9-Y 6-N) Yea: 9 Nay: 6 2026-02-27 Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (37-Y 0-N 0-A) Yea: 37 Nay: 0 2026-03-02 Passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A) Yea: 21 Nay: 19
Committee Referrals
2025-12-23 H Education 2026-01-19 H Education: K-12 2026-01-28 S Education and Health 2026-02-19 S Education: Public Education
Bill Text Versions
2025-12-23 Introduced 2026-03-06 Enrolled 2026-04-02 Chaptered Legislative data powered by LegiScan (CC BY 4.0)
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