ROANOKE, Va. – Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine has signed a bill into law that requires public and private schools provide instruction on Web safety.
The law, which will go into effect July 1, mandates that schools warn students about Internet predators. It also expands upon existing state policies and practices regarding acceptable Internet use.
The earlier legislation, which was established in 1999, provided plans on how to prevent student access to harmful content; filtering technology to block obscene materials; and an outline of punishments for policy violators.
The Virginia State Department of Education will now be required to provide guidelines to schools on how they can integrate Web safety into their curriculum.
The department is now looking into ways it can implement the law. It is unclear if or how the law will be funded. Its fiscal impact has yet to be determined.
