February 22, 2016
                     

Table of Contents
Senate Passes Career Academy Bill
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Ed Meets
Senate Education Meets and Passes Title I Flexibility Pilot, Declines to Vote on Voucher Bill
House Subcommittee Meets to Discuss Suspending Young Students and Provisional School Enrollment
 
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PAGE Report From the Capitol
Day 25   
Senate Passes Career Academy Bill

SB 348 by Senate Education Chair Lindsey Tippins (R-Marietta) passed the Senate today and is now on its way to the House. The legislation allows College and Career Academies to be established in Charter Districts or in Strategic Waiver Systems. 
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Ed Meets
 
The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education met this afternoon to consider the FY 2017 Budget.
Senate Education Meets and Passes Title I Flexibility Pilot, Declines to Vote on Voucher Bill
  • SR 723 by Sen. Donzella James (D-Atlanta) encourages schools to guarantee certain safety rights to student athletes and is supported by advocacy groups who hope to prevent brain injuries. During committee discussion, the committee chair expressed concern that the bill's terminology regarding "rights" might create legal liabilities, even though the resolution is an "encouraging" resolution which does not carry the force of law. The bill's sponsor agreed to make changes, and the resolution is expected to be heard at a later meeting.  
  •  SB 281 by Sen. William Ligon (R-Brunswick) seeks to prevent third parties from using electronic student data and would require schools to give students and parents a formal written explanation of the goals and capabilities of digital platforms and would require schools to destroy student data at the end of a course. After the bill was presented, GaDOE expressed concern that the bill would inhibit the use of Georgia's Longitudinal Data System. During committee discussion, several members expressed concern that Ligon's legislation is overly broad and its passage would inhibit student learning. At the conclusion of the bill's presentation, Chairman Tippins said he sensed that the bill is too flawed to pass in its current form and gave Sen. Ligon the choice for a vote to be taken on the bill or to consider revisions. Sen. Ligon chose the latter and mentioned that he may work with GaDOE on changes to the legislation.
  • SB 374 by Chairman Tippins creates a pilot program for flexible use of Title I funds. The bill passed and is now on its way to Rules for placement on the Senate voting calendar.
  • SB 328 by Sen. Emanuel Jones (D-Decatur) seeks to limit the amount of time during which students could be assigned to alternative schools except in the case of the most serious offensives. The committee discussed the bill at length and whether it is appropriate to limit a school district's ability to remove chronically disruptive students. Representatives from GAEL and GaDOE testified that behavior contracts initiated after chronically disruptive students enter alternative schools would trigger additional hearings and lengthen the amount of the time at alternative schools, allaying concerns about tying schools' hands in the case of disruptive students.  
  • SB 310 by Sen. Ligon, the "Transparency in Education Act", was held until a later meeting.
  • SB 395 by Sen. Hunter Hill (R-Atlanta) would create a private school voucher for the children of active duty military, National Guard and military reserves. Many members of the committee, particularly the committee chair, seemed to have serious concerns about the voucher legislation. Ultimately, the committee didn't vote on whether to send a bill forward because it lost the quorum. 
House Subcommittee Meets to Discuss Suspending Young Students and Provisional School Enrollment

A House Education Subcommittee considered HB 135 the "Too Young to Suspend Act." Sponsored by Rep. Wayne Howard (D-Augusta), the legislation seeks to prevent schools for suspending students in Pre-K and Kindergarten unless the students cause or threaten serious bodily injury or bring firearms, knives, explosives, or other dangerous substances to school. The subcommittee did not move the bill but asked GaDOE to work with its proponents.

HB 942 by Rep. Dexter Sharper (D-Valdosta) attempts to allow kinship caregivers like grandparents to provisionally enroll students in school. The legislation would extend the current provisional school enrollment period from 30 to 90 days, would give grandparents or other kinship caregivers power of attorney to enroll students, and would require posting of the new enrollment rules. The subcommittee tabled the bill until some changes can be made.
Margaret Ciccarelli - Director of Legislative Affairs [email protected]

Josh Stephens - Legislative Policy Analyst
[email protected]
  


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