Education Law
HCS HB 1049 – Bullying. Changes the laws regarding bullying in schools and establishes specific components that a district must include in its antibullying policy.
HB 1091 – Prevailing wage in disaster areas. Requires a school district to exempt itself from the prevailing hourly wage for work done on behalf of a school located in a Governor-declared disaster area
HCS HB 1169 – Investigations of child abuse in schools. Changes the laws regarding the investigation of a report of child abuse that arises from a spanking in a school. Requires a school receiving a report of child abuse that arises from school personnel following a district policy to send the notice to local law enforcement rather than the county juvenile officer.
HB 1206 – Denial of participation in interscholastic activity. Allows a student who has been denied the privilege to participate in an interscholastic activity under certain conditions to petition the court for a restraining order prohibiting enforcement of the denial. Oppose.
HB 1346 – Changes the laws regarding student athlete agents. (See Sports Law
HB 1470 – Mandatory reporters of child abuse. Expands the list of mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect to include a coach, scout leader, youth leader, and any volunteer who has direct contact with children.
HB 1572 – Bullying. Changes the laws regarding bullying in schools. Removes the prohibition on school district policy on bullying from listing protected classes of students; revises the definition of “bullying” as it relates to such policies by adding any action that would qualify as a hate crime or any discriminatory action or environment under Title IX; requires a school district’s antibullying policy to require that a student report any instance of bullying that the student has observed, been involved in, or has firsthand knowledge of; requires the school district’s administrators to notify the parents or guardians of a student either reported to be responsible for the bullying or the target of a bullying incident.
HB 1597/SB 799 – Bullying. Changes the laws regarding bullying in schools. Among other provisions: revises the definition of “bullying” and prohibits bullying by school employees or students on school property or at school functions; removes the requirement that a bullying policy not enumerate protected classes of individuals and prohibits bullying when it is reasonably perceived to be motivated upon a person’s real or perceived affiliation with certain specified categories of individuals; requires a school employee, student or volunteer who has witnessed or has reliable information that a student or employee has been subject to discrimination or harassment to report the incident.
HB 1792 – Parent-School communication. Requires school districts to adopt policies on school-parent communications that provide that parents with joint legal or joint physical custody both receive copies of school communications.