Governor Signs ForKids Bills Strengthening School-Community Partnerships

When public schools and community groups in Virginia work together to support children experiencing housing instability, they often run into a major obstacle: the inability to share information about students—including attendance and academic performance—between school systems and nonprofits. 

“Federal privacy laws provide important protections for students, but they can also create significant barriers to collaboration,” said ForKids CEO Thaler McCormick. “Schools face real penalties for sharing student information, even when trusted nonprofit partners like ForKids are required to follow the same privacy laws and safeguards.” 

As a result, nonprofit teams often are left without critical information that could help them respond quickly when a student begins struggling. Those communication gaps can make it harder for schools and community partners to support the children they are both working to help. 

That’s why new legislation—drafted, shaped and advanced by ForKids and signed into law on June 9, 2026, by Gov. Abigail Spanberger—is good news for the Commonwealth. 

“This law matters because more than 40% of children identified as homeless in Virginia are chronically absent,” said ForKids Government Relations Manager Bjørn Koxvold. “When kids miss school, they fall behind. Allowing schools and nonprofits to share timely information—when students are absent or how they’re performing in class—helps us work together more effectively.”  

The new law directs the Virginia Department of Education to develop a model memorandum of understanding to guide voluntary partnerships between public schools and student support agencies. The framework will help schools and community partners collaborate with appropriate parent involvement while establishing clear expectations for privacy, data security and responsible information sharing. 

The legislation is the result of years of advocacy by ForKids, alongside partners at Richmond Public Schools, and with the leadership of Del. Bonita Anthony and Sen. Angelia Williams Graves. 

“Stronger communication between schools and community partners can help students and families access support sooner,” McCormick said. “Over time, those connections can help reduce absenteeism, improve student outcomes and keep more kids on track to meet grade-level milestones. That’s a win for families, schools and student support agencies.” 

ForKids is grateful to Gov. Spanberger, Del. Anthony, Sen. Williams Graves, Richmond Public Schools, the ForKids Research & Advocacy team and Research & Advocacy Committee, and the many partners who helped advance this practical, common-sense solution. 

Find out more about ForKids’ Education Programs at forkids.org/education and learn about our advocacy work at forkids.org/advocacy.  

(Pictured above, left to right: Angela Graciani, ForKids Chief Education Officer; Del. Bonita Anthony; Cardamom Beloin, 2026 Legislative Aide, Office of Del. Anthony; Gov. Abigail Spanberger; Sen. Angelia Williams Graves; Matthew Stanley, Director of Advocacy and Outreach, Richmond Public Schools. Photo credit: Lyntracey Images)