In 1980, the General Assembly passed Senate Joint Resolution No. 43, which requested that a joint subcommittee of the Senate Education and Health Committee and the House Education Committee be appointed to study the effects of eliminating the dual endorsement to teach health and physical education.

The Joint Subcommittee received testimony from health and physical educators, school administrators, the State Health Department, the Department of Education, the State Council of Higher Education, colleges and universities, parents, and health, educational and civic organizations.

At its organizational meeting, the joint subcommittee reviewed the Virginia Advisory Legislative Council's report, Health Education in Public Schools,1977, which recommended that "health education be a comprehensive and sequential curriculum, grades K thru 12, and that the health education curriculum in the public schools be separate and distinct from physical education and driver education." The VALC's rationale for its recommendations was based upon its findings.