Legally mandated training for school board members

Virginia law requires school board members to take three types of training.

COIA Training – State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act

EVERY school board member must complete COIA training for local officials within two months of assuming office and at least once every two calendar years thereafter. The required COIA training is provided by the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council (Ethics Council). The Ethics Council provides online training that can be accessed from their website here: I

FOIA Training – Virginia Freedom of Information Act

Every ELECTED school board member must complete FOIA training for local elected officials within two months of assuming office and at least once every two calendar years thereafter. The required FOIA training is provided by the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council (FOIA Council) or the school board’s attorney. The FOIA Council provides both in-person training opportunities and on-line training that can be accessed from their website here:

Record Keeping for FOIA and COIA Training

It is important that every board member notifies their clerk when they complete a training session. The school board clerk is responsible for keeping a record of the completion dates of each board member’s required FOIA and COIA training. This information is a public record and must be retained for five years.

Professional Development Required by the Virginia Standards of Quality (SOQ)

EVERY school board must require its school board members to participate annually in high-quality professional development at the state, local, or national levels on governance pursuant to Va. Code § 22.1-253.13:5 (aka Standard 5). The governance training may include, but is not limited to, personnel policies and practices; the evaluation of personnel, curriculum, and instruction; use of data in planning and decision making; and current issues in education. Virginia law does not specify how much training school boards members must get each year or what training constitutes the required professional development; each school board must make those decisions for itself. Local school boards determine what programs fulfill the professional development requirement and ensure that every member receives the required training.  Completion of this training requirement is reported to the Virginia Department of Education as part of each school board’s annual SOQ Compliance Data Certification.

For questions about the professional development requirement or certification process, please contact the Virginia Department of Education.