The Board of Education shall prepare and supervise the implementation in the regional detention homes and those local detention homes having teachers whose salaries were being funded by the Commonwealth on January 1, 1984, a program designed to educate and train the children detained in the homes. In addition, the Board shall supervise those programs of evaluation, education and training provided to school-age children by the Department of Health, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, the children's teaching hospital associated with the Eastern Virginia Medical School, the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Authority, the children's teaching hospital associated with the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Authority, and the University of Virginia Hospitals pursuant to the Board's standards and regulations as required by § 22.1-7.

The Board shall promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary to conform these programs with the applicable federal and state laws and regulations including, but not limited to, teacher/student ratios and special education requirements for children with disabilities. The education programs in the relevant detention homes and state agencies and institutions shall be approved by the Board and the Board shall prepare a budget for these educational programs which shall be solely supported by such general funds as are appropriated by the General Assembly for this purpose. Teacher staffing ratios for regional or local detention homes shall be based on a ratio of one teacher for every twelve beds based on the capacity of the facility; however, if the previous year's average daily attendance exceeds this bed capacity, the ratio shall be based on the average daily attendance at the facility as calculated by the Department of Education from the previous school year.

The Board of Education shall enter into contracts with the relevant state agency or institution or detention facility or the local school divisions in which the state agencies or institutions or the regional detention homes and the relevant local detention homes are located for the hiring and supervision of teachers.

In any case in which the Board enters into a contract with the relevant state agency or institution, the Department of Human Resource Management shall establish salary schedules for the teachers which are competitive with those in effect for the school divisions in which the agency or institution is located.

1987, c. 414; 1992, cc. 209, 439; 1994, c. 854; 2000, cc. 66, 657, 865; 2002, cc. 87, 478; 2008, cc. 46, 151; 2009, cc. 813, 840.