The Virginia House of Delegates voted last week to require public schools to make Election Day a school holiday. The bill is a safety measure aimed at keeping unknown people out of school buildings while children are present.
“It’s impossible for the schools to properly screen each individual entering the building without slowing down the voting lines,” Del. Paul Krizek, D-Fairfax, the bill’s patron, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “This creates a security concern because it potentially allows strangers unwarranted access to the school building.”
The widely supported bill stems from recommendations made by the school safety committee House Speaker Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, convened after last year’s school shooting in Parkland, Florida. It was approved on a 97-1 vote.
