Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §22.1-204.1 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§22.1-204.1. Firearm safety education program.
Local school boards may provide firearm safety education
programs for students in the elementary school grades
and shall provide firearm safety education programs for students in high school
grades. To assist local
school boards electing to provide firearm safety education programs, the The Board
of Education shall, in consultation
with the Department of State Police, establish curriculum
guidelines for a standardized program of firearm safety education for the elementary school grades
to promote the protection and safety of children students enrolled in the
public schools. The curriculum guidelines shall incorporate, among other principles
of firearm safety, accident prevention and the rules upon which the Eddie Eagle Gunsafe GunSafe
Program offered by the National Rifle Association is based.
Local school boards electing to provide firearm Firearm
safety education shall
offer instruction pursuant to shall be consistent with the
Board's curriculum guidelines and shall integrate firearm safety education into appropriate subject areas, if feasible, to ensure
that every elementary grade student completes the course of study in firearm safety
education any family life
education program offered
by the school board. For
any grade or school division for which a family life education program is not
offered, such instruction
shall be integrated into other subject
areas or provided as a separate program and parents shall
have the opportunity to opt their child out of participation in
the firearm safety education program.
Such firearm safety education program
shall be taught by a school resource officer or
other law-enforcement officer
or by a
United States Armed Forces instructor. No firearms shall
be used in such firearm safety
education program.