Gov. Youngkin signs three bills in Roanoke to increase resources for developmentally delayed children, families

ROANOKE, Va. – Families with children experiencing developmental delays will soon be able to access more resources with ease.

This comes after Governor Glenn Youngkin signed three new bills while visiting Round Hill Elementary School in Roanoke, where the ideas for the bills first originated.

“Roanoke City School Board recommends a bill, an idea, Senator Sutterlin works with them and then brings it to the General Assembly. And then he works with his colleagues and then we eventually come back here to Roanoke to sign it. That’s pretty exciting,” said Gov. Youngkin.

Two of the bills will help families with children experiencing developmental delays access more resources.

This will be done with the help of a transition coordinator at each Virginia high school.

Their job will be to help families make plans for their children after graduation.

“We are empowering their families to find more resources, more support to promote their loved ones’ independence,” said Gov. Youngkin.

Virginia State Senator for the 19th District, David Sutterlein was the one who sponsored the bills.

“I’m very excited about the work with the commission on youth that gave us the good idea to work on this bill to make sure transition coordinators is accessible, far more accessible to everyone so they can do that work,” said Sutterlein.

The third bill will give more tools to English learners in K-12 education.

This will be done by creating a stakeholder work group by the Department of Education to make recommendations to break barriers for students learning English as a second language.

“We are adding more tools to provide for our children a best-in-class education,” said Youngkin.

These three bills will go into effect on July 1.


About the Author:

Sydney joined the WSLS 10 News team in June 2021.