2026 SESSION

SENATE SUBSTITUTE

26109258D

HOUSE BILL NO. 1095

AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE

(Proposed by the Senate Committee on Education and Health

on March 5, 2026)

(Patron Prior to Substitute—Delegate Singh)

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1-206.4, relating to high school students; completion of certain applications for student financial aid required; opt-out; exemption.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 22.1-206.4 as follows:

§ 22.1-206.4. High school students; completion of certain applications for student financial aid required; opt-out; exemption.

A. As used in this section:

"High school student" means any public high school student in the Commonwealth.

"Student financial aid application" means the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education or, if applicable to the specific student, the Virginia Alternative Student Aid (VASA) application to be submitted to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

B. Each school board shall annually provide to each high school student and the parents of each high school student in the applicable school division guidance and other informational materials on student financial aid applications for the purpose of promoting awareness of federal and state financial aid programs, resources, eligibility criteria, application deadlines, and other processes and requirements.

C. Each school board shall establish (i) a five-year goal for encouraging and increasing the completion of student financial aid applications by high school students during the students' final school year before graduation for the applicable school division as a whole and for each high school in the school division and (ii) annual goals toward achieving the five-year goal established pursuant to clause (i) for the applicable school division as a whole and for each high school in the school division. Each school board shall base the initial five-year and annual goals established pursuant to this subsection on the rate of high school students who complete student financial aid applications during the preceding school year for the applicable school division as a whole and for each high school in the school division.

D. Each school board shall collect data and annually post in a publicly accessible location on its website and submit to the Department a report on the progress toward achieving, for the applicable school division as a whole and for each high school in the school division, (i) the five-year goal for encouraging and increasing the completion of student financial aid applications by high school students during the students' final school year before graduation and (ii) the annual goals toward achieving such five-year goal established by the school board in accordance with subsection C.

E. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require any school board to establish a goal of universal completion of a student financial aid application prior to graduation by each high school student in the school division.

F. No school board or employee thereof shall disclose any personally identifiable information related to the requirements set forth in this section to any individual or entity outside of the local school division, including to any local, state, or federal entity or any constitutional officer, as that term is defined in § 15.2-1605.2.

2. That the Department of Education shall provide to each school board (i) by the beginning of each school year information on how to access data on the rates of completion of student financial aid applications, as that term is defined by § 22.1-206.4 of the Code of Virginia, as created by this act, by high school students and any other data necessary to assist in implementing and carrying out the provisions of § 22.1-206.4 of the Code of Virginia, as created by this act, and (ii) guidance or other informational resources designed to support school boards in making progress toward the five-year and annual goals established pursuant to § 22.1-206.4 of the Code of Virginia, as created by this act.