Offenses
Crimes and Schools
What offenses must schools report to law enforcement?
Code of Virginia § 22.1-279.3:1.D. requires principals to immediately report to the local law enforcement agency any act enumerated in clauses (ii) through (vii) of § 22.1-279.3:1.A. that may constitute a criminal offense.
Acts enumerated § 22.1-279.3:1.A. are:
(i) the assault or assault and battery, without bodily injury, of any person on a school bus, on school property, or at a school-sponsored activity;
(ii) the assault and battery that results in bodily injury, sexual assault, death, shooting, stabbing, cutting, or wounding of any person, or stalking of any person as described in § 18.2-60.3, on a school bus, on school property, or at a school-sponsored activity;
(iii) any conduct involving alcohol, marijuana, a controlled substance, imitation controlled substance, or an anabolic steroid on a school bus, on school property, or at a school-sponsored activity, including the theft or attempted theft of student prescription medications;
(iv) any threats against school personnel while on a school bus, on school property or at a school-sponsored activity;
(v) the illegal carrying of a firearm, as defined in § 22.1-277.07, onto school property;
(vi) any illegal conduct involving firebombs, explosive materials or devices, or hoax explosive devices, as defined in § 18.2-85, or explosive or incendiary devices, as defined in § 18.2-433.1, or chemical bombs, as described in § 18.2-87., on a school bus, on school property, or at a school-sponsored activity;
(vii) any threats or false threats to bomb, as described in § 18.2-83, made against school personnel or involving school property or school buses; or
(viii) the arrest of any student for an incident occurring on a school bus, on school property, or at a school-sponsored activity, including the charge therefor.
A principal may report to the local law enforcement agency any incident described in clause (i) of subsection A. When there is injury, or the battery is against school personnel, reporting is mandatory.
The Virginia Department of Education requires that offenses of “discipline, crime, and violence (DCV)” be reported. Offenses are categorized by type and assigned DCV offense codes. See the resources on the right under VDOE Discipline, Crime and Violence Definitions.
The offenses that are required to be reported to law enforcement are listed in the table below:
DCV Codes and Offenses |
DCV Codes and Offenses |
Alcohol (AL1) Assault/Battery School Threat (BB1) Drug Violations |
Homicide Stalking Sexual Offenses Threats/Verbal/Physical Weapons |
Additional guidance on reporting offenses to law enforcement is contained in Virginia Board of Education Student Conduct Policy Guidelines (PDF).
