Legislative Briefs
What it does: HB 2750 would prohibit school districts from charging fees for interscholastic activities, including requiring participation in fundraising activities as a condition of participating. The fees would be covered by the Statewide Education Initiatives Account.
What’s next: The House Education Committee has scheduled a public hearing Monday, Feb. 6.
School start times
What it does: HB 2751 would establish a task force on school start times. Early start times for students, specifically high school students, are a national topic. The task force would examine research on adolescent circadian rhythms, sleeping patterns and current school scheduling practices and then review the impact of start times on child and adolescent sleep, student mental health, student physical health and student academic performance, among other things.
What’s next: The House Education Committee has scheduled a public hearing Monday, Feb. 6.
Paying school board members
What it does: HB 2753 would allow school district boards to choose between providing its board members with a monthly stipend not to exceed $1,000 or to provide reimbursements for actual and necessary expenses incurred or paid by the directors in the performance of their duties.
What’s next: The House Education Committee has scheduled a public hearing Monday, Feb. 6.
Reorganizing education
Senate Bill 289, 290, 291 and 819
What it does:
The Senate Education Committee will open a public hearing on SB 289, 290, 291 and 819 Tuesday, Feb. 7. These four bills would dramatically alter general and special education in Oregon.
SB 289 would direct the Oregon Department of Education to annually determine if a school district or education service district is complying with state and federal law involving student health or safety, discrimination, special education, or access to education; issue corrective action plans for districts found to be noncompliant; and issue penalties if no corrective action is taken within 120 days of receiving a corrective action plan. In addition, SB 289 would allow for civil penalties or Teacher Standards and Practices complaints against a commission licensee for any violation of state and federal law or certain unreasonable actions.
SB 290 would change the education duties of the State Board of Education, ODE, the superintendent of public instruction and district school boards, including charging the State Board of Education with providing supervision, management and control of the state’s public elementary and secondary schools and early childhood special education and early intervention services.
SB 291 would require ODE to investigate all allegations of noncompliance with laws related to discrimination, restraint and seclusion, and religious activity. It would also require the department to order corrective action when noncompliance is found and to impose sanctions if corrective action is not acted upon.
SB 819 would modify the abbreviated school day program requirements, including requiring informed written consent from a parent or foster advocate for a student to be placed in the program.
What’s next: The Senate Education Committee has scheduled a public hearing Tuesday, Feb. 7.