Virginia Code 22.1-19.1: Action for violations related to secure mandatory tests
A. The Office of the Attorney General, on behalf of the Board of Education, may bring a cause of action in the circuit court having jurisdiction where the person resides or where the act occurred for injunctive relief, civil penalty, or both, against any person who knowingly and willfully commits any of the following acts related to secure mandatory tests required by the Board to be administered to students:
Terms Used In Virginia Code 22.1-19.1
- Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
- Department: means the Department of Education. See Virginia Code 22.1-1
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
- Superintendent: means the Superintendent of Public Instruction. See Virginia Code 22.1-1
1. Permitting unauthorized access to secure test questions prior to testing;
2. Copying or reproducing all or any portion of any secure test booklet;
3. Divulging the contents of any portion of a secure test;
4. Altering test materials or examinees’ responses in any way;
5. Creating or making available answer keys to secure tests;
6. Making a false certification on the test security form established by the Department of Education;
7. Excluding students from testing who are required to be assessed; or
8. Participating in, directing, aiding or abetting, or assisting in any of the acts prohibited in this section.
For the purpose of this subsection, “secure” means an item, question, or test that has not been made publicly available by the Department of Education.
B. Nothing in this section may be construed to prohibit or restrict the reasonable and necessary actions of the Board of Education, Superintendent of Public Instruction or the Department of Education or their agents or employees engaged in test development or selection, test form construction, standard setting, test scoring, reporting test scores, or any other related activities which, in the judgment of the Superintendent of Public Instruction or Board of Education, are necessary and appropriate.
C. Any person who violates any provisions of this section may be assessed a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000 for each violation. Furthermore, any person whose administrative or teaching license has been suspended or revoked pursuant to § 22.1-292.1 may be assessed a civil penalty for the same violation under this section and the reasonable costs of any review or investigation of a violation of test security.
All civil penalties paid to the Commonwealth pursuant to this section shall be deposited into the Literary Fund.
D. For the purpose of this section, “person” shall not mean a student enrolled in a public school.
2000, cc. 634, 659; 2004, cc. 939, 955; 2006, cc. 25, 95; 2011, c. 248.