Richmond – Education advocates across the Commonwealth are celebrating the passage ofHB298, Delegate Delores McQuinn’s bill to prioritize evidence-based restorative justice programs in K-12 schools. The legislation, which was signed into law yesterday by Governor Abigail Spanberger, replaces traditional enforcement mechanisms like suspension or expulsion that remove students’ access to education with practices that bring students together with affected peers and adults to reflect on harm, take responsibility, and agree on steps to repair relationships. Investing in these interventions, along with bolstering mental health supports and wraparound community services, helps reduce the time kids spend out of school, fosters a sense of belonging, and improves academic outcomes.

“Disciplinary policies that push kids out the door have never made schools safer, they’ve just made inequity harder to see,” said Ashleigh Crocker, Interim Executive Director of Progress Virginia. “This legislation gives Virginia a real policy alternative that both holds students accountable and keeps them connected to their education and their community. This law moves us away from the instinct to punish and toward the harder, more meaningful work of repairing relationships. Paired with real investment in mental health care, community partnerships, and family support, this legislation will help educators address the root causes of conflict. When schools are places where young people genuinely feel they belong, everyone learns better and the community thrives.”