A House committee rejected legislation that would strengthen Idaho code dealing with the abuse of teachers. The new bill would have expanded protections to cover all school employees, not just teachers.
\IEA Executive Director Paul Stark testifies in favor of House Bill 114, a bill that sought to expand protections against abuse of educators, on Thursday.
After 45 minutes of testimony and debate, the House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee voted down House Bill 114 by a vote of 8-9, refusing to send the bill to the House floor for further consideration. The legislation was co-sponsored by Rep. Chris Mathias (D-Boise), Rep. Soñia Galaviz (D-Boise), an educator and IEA member and House Education Committee Vice Chairwoman Lori McCann (R-Lewiston).
IEA Executive Director Paul Stark testifies in favor of House Bill 114, a bill that sought to expand protections against abuse of educators, on Thursday.
“Over the last few years there have been far too many instances of educators and school employees being abused and harassed in the work environment,” said IEA Executive Director Paul Stark as he testified in favor of the bill. “These good people had to endure being screamed at, insulted, threatened and intimidated in schools simply for showing up and trying to do their job of education students.”
But a few members of the panel vigorously questioned Stark and Mathias about why educators deserved “special protections.”
“The only situation in my mind that would justify that is somebody who is placed in a position of physically enforcing the law and is therefore in physical danger,” said Rep. Julianne Young (R-Blackfoot). “And as much as I appreciate our teachers, I think that they are not in that position of having to be an enforcement mechanism of the law.”
Here’s how the House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee voted on the bill:
Yes
- Colin Nash
- John Gannon
- Chris Mathias
- Mark Sauter
- Christopher M. Allgood
- Chenele Dixon
- Dan Garner
- Kenny Wroten
No
- Heather Scott
- Barbara Ehardt
- Julianne Young
- David M. Cannon
- Marco Adam Erickson
- Joe Alfieri
- Jacyn Gallagher
- Clay Handy
- Tina Lambert