Last year, Rep. Ted Hill (R-Eagle) couldn’t garner enough votes for a bill allowing public school employees to arm themselves in class without disclosing their armed status to parents or district staff. This year, he’s back with House Bill 273, which he’s pitching as an alternative to hired armed guards.
The bill would require educators to opt into an enhanced concealed weapon training course or a completed Police Officer Standards Training course; the training must include a refresher course once per year. Once trained, any school employee could carry a concealed weapon into the classroom. The bill would also require all K-12 schools to remove “Gun Free Zone” signs from their campuses.
During his testimony on Tuesday before the House State Affairs Committee, Hill described schools as “a soft target” that educators could have a hand in defending. But, as Rep. Todd Achilles (D-Boise) pointed out in his questioning, Hill’s legislation would make it very difficult to track which educators or staff are armed.
“There’s no transparency on who’s carrying a weapon here,” he said. The bill awaits a full hearing in the House State Affairs Committee.
Hill was once endorsed by Idaho Education Association members, who revoked their support in 2024.
Union Busting Bill
Last week, House Bill 98 – a union-busting bill that only targets IEA – passed the House 40-29. Now, it’s in the Senate, where lawmakers have traditionally been less responsive to bills targeting unions.
House Bill 98 received extensive pushback from IEA, the Professional Fire Fighters of Idaho and the AFL-CIO. If it is enacted, it will curb IEA members’ ability to interact with their union, including ending release time for educators to participate in union activities.
More From This Week
In addition to Hill’s bill, more legislation targeting classroom behavior, religion in schools and human sexuality came into play this week:
- House Bill 236, a bipartisan bill that would allow school boards to deny enrollment to pupils with severe behavior issues if they are being disenrolled in lieu of discipline or expulsion, advanced this week. The bill would also require parents and guardians to disclose if a student has been convicted of a severe crime. It’s expected to be heard by the full House soon.
- House Bill 238 would require public schools to display the Ten Commandments. It has been referred to the House Education Committee.
- House Bill 292 would require school districts to post supplemental educational materials, textbooks and course syllabi online, as well as require public schools to prohibit teaching sexual orientation or gender identity from K-3.
Catching Up on Last Week’s Bills
Here are status updates for several of the bills we mentioned in last week’s IEA Reporter, as well as a few more that are back for amendments or new hearings:
Cellphones, cellphones, cellphones. Senate Bill 1032, brought forward by Sen. Treg A. Bernt (R-Meridian), would require Idaho public school districts to create distraction-free learning policies to limit the use of electronic communications devices such as cell phones and tablets. The legislation would require all districts to have a policy in place by Dec. 31, 2025. The bill passed the Senate unanimously last week; this week, the House Education Committee recommended the House pass the bill. It’s awaiting a vote by the full House.
The House Education Committee heard a bill, House Bill 229, from Rep. Jaron Crane (R-Nampa) that would ban the use of “wireless electronic communication devices” during class time. The bill has yet to be taken up before the House Education Committee.
Rep. Wendy Horman (R-Idaho Falls) and Rep. Chris Mathias (D-Boise) proposed a “Mobile Device Policy Fund” addition to the Phone Free Learning Act, an executive order made by Governor Little that is already in place. The fund would issue grants of $1,500 to help districts create their own policies. House Bill 225 has been referred to the House Appropriations Committee.
Ultrasounds in class. Senate Bill 1046, sponsored by Sen. Tammy Nichols (R-Middleton), would require educators to show “a high-definition ultrasound video” lasting at least three minutes to fifth- through 12th-graders studying contraception, sexually-transmitted diseases or human biology. The bill is being amended in the Senate.
Weighted funding formula. Senate Bill 1096, introduced by Sen. James Woodward (R-Sagle), would distribute more money for students who require more attention and funding, including gifted and talented students, special education students, students learning English, low-income students, and students who attend alternative school. The bill is awaiting debate on the Senate floor.
Anti-pride flags. House Bill 41, which has already passed the House, was referred to the Senate Education Committee. The committee asked sponsor Rep. Ted Hill (R-Eagle) to add language that clarifies which types of flags would be banned if the bill is passed by the Senate. The Senate has yet to take up the bill.
Ending compulsory attendance. House Joint Resolution No. 1, which would have amended the Idaho Constitution to change the language regarding compulsory education, failed on the House floor this week. Under the current language, every child between six-18 must attend public schools unless they are educated by other means, such as home schooling or private schooling. HJR 1 would have allowed parents to educate children completely outside of the public school system “without government regulation.” The vote was 46-23-1, just shy of the 2/3 majority needed to put a proposed amendment on the ballot.
Bullying. HB 41, which has already passed the full House, is awaiting a vote on the Senate floor. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Mathias, would alert parents or guardians if their child is involved in a serious incident of school bullying.
Professional development for literacy. Senate Bill 1069 would offer professional development to reading educators. Open to educators who teach K-3, the “multi-year” training would be administered by the Idaho Department of Education. It’s awaiting a hearing on the Senate floor.
Teaching cursive. Sen. Nichols sponsored Senate Bill 1044, which would require proficiency benchmarks for cursive handwriting. It’s waiting for a vote on the Senate floor.
Parent tech awareness program. Sen. Kevin Cook (R-Idaho Falls) introduced legislation to create a parent tech awareness program to combat “online threats.” Senate Bill 1070 advanced out of Senate Education Committee and is awaiting a vote on the floor.
Education savings accounts. Senate Bill 1068, brought forward by former legislator Steven Thayn, would allow public schools, including charters, to offer education savings accounts for tutoring, supplies and other items. It is waiting for a hearing in the Senate Education Committee.
Bible reading in class. House Bill 162 would require all public school teachers to read a passage from the Bible to their classrooms every day “without instruction or comment.” The bill’s text includes “reasonable accommodations” for teachers and students who object. The U.S. Supreme Court barred public school-sponsored prayer and Bible reading in 1963. The bill has yet to be heard by the House Education Committee.
Priority access to public charter schools. If House Bill 163 passes, students whose parents are active-duty military will receive priority registration at the state’s public charter schools. The bill stalled before reaching the full House and has been sent back to the Education Committee.
Rural facilities school funding. Boise Education Association member Rep. Soñia Galaviz (D-Boise) and Rep. Rod Furniss (R-Rigby) co-sponsored House Bill 75, which would create a new fund to support public education facilities. The fund would draw $25 million from the public school facilities cooperative fund and $28 million from the public school health insurance participation fund. To access the funds, public schools could apply for a need-based grant to pay for school construction, remodeling and maintenance, with priority given to rural districts. The bill is still awaiting a hearing in the House Education Committee.
