Why it matters: IEA members thought the 2025 legislative session was one of the most devastating in years. But with bills advancing on everything from school funding to transgender student rights to library bans, 2026 is threatening to break new records.
The context: Lawmakers are scrambling to get their priorities in before the Legislature breaks for the year — called sine die — and they’re under intense deadline pressure.
The big question: House Bill 745, the anti-union bill, survived an attempt to force it out of committee and onto the Senate floor for a vote.
What advanced: Legislators were busy this week, often continuing to erode local control.
• Transgender students: House Bill 822 would require schools to notify parents when a transgender student requests changes — such as a different name, pronouns, bathroom, or more — was advanced by the House on a 59-9 vote. The bill now heads to the Senate. If public schools do not comply, they could be faced with penalties of up to $100,000. House Democrats tried a rarely-used tactic called a minority report, which lodges challenges to the bill in the House record, but Sen. Jason Monks (R-Meridian) blocked it by suspending the rule that would have allowed it. The bill has been referred to the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee.
• Social media: Under House Bill 785, which was passed by the House this week, students could be disciplined for posting threatening or obscene messages toward school staff, including if those posts were created outside of school hours. The bill has been referred to the Senate Education Committee.
• Career ladder: Career-technical education instructors and licensed pupil services specialists such as school psychologists, speech language pathologists, physical therapists, school counselors and more could count outside work experience toward their place on the career ladder under House Bill 849. The bill — co-sponsored by Boise Education Association member Rep. Soñia Galaviz (D-Boise) — passed the House 43-25. It has been referred to the Senate Education Committee.
• Libraries: Two bills updating House Bill 710, a 2024 law colloquially known as “the library bill,” made it through the House this week. House Bill 819 would give the state more control over which books will be allowed in public schools by allowing the government to “exercise its First Amendment rights through its selection of curriculum and library materials. Those choices constitute ‘government speech.’” House Bill 795 would crack down on “erotic depictions of nudity, depictions of sexual conduct, or explicit descriptions of sexual conduct” and continue to allow private parties to challenge books, resulting in civil penalties for public school districts. Both bills cleared the House State Affairs Committee.
• Moving money into the general fund: Senate Bill 1332 would transfer $20 million from existing programs to the general fund, including Idaho Launch, which is one of Gov. Brad Little’s legacy education projects. SB 1332 would remove money from Idaho Launch in both fiscal years 2026 and 2027. The bill passed the Senate on March 2, passed the House on March 9, and was delivered to the governor for signature into law on March 12.
What stalled: Some of the most contentious bills of this year’s session are still being held in committee this week.
• High-needs special education fund: Senate Bill 1288, which would dedicate $5 million to a high-needs SPED fund to address Idaho’s massive funding gap, is still being held in the House Education Committee by Rep. Dale Hawkins (R-Fernwood).
• School job applicants: Senate Bill 1371 and Senate Bill 1372, both sponsored by Rep. Tammy Nichols (R-Middleton), have been called back for overhauls. SB 1371 would require schools to obtain information about “any past misconduct,” pending investigations, resignations during investigations, and report matters to law enforcement. This information would span 10 years of employment. SB 1372 would establish whistleblower protections for school employees and personnel who report sexual misconduct with students. As Idaho Education News first reported, both Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield and Attorney General Raul Labrador have met with Nichols for possible amendments.
What’s dead (and effectively dead): Lawmakers are holding the line on two controversial bills, and killed another outright.
• LGBTQ instruction: House Bill 516, which would have expanded last year’s ban against teaching about gender or sexual identity, is effectively dead in committee. It was held in the Senate Education Committee.
• Immigration data: House Bill 656, which would have forced school districts to track and report student immigration data, is still being held in the House Education Committee and is not expected to pass.
• Recess: Rep. Jordan Redman (R-Coeur d’Alene) sponsored House Bill 833, which would have made daily recess for K-5 students and activity breaks for grades 6-8 mandatory. House members balked at a provision that would punish teachers for “withholding” recess from students. It failed in the House.
House Bill 808, which would end Idaho’s mandatory vaccination system and instead require parents to opt-in for their children to be vaccinated, was held in the House Health and Welfare Committee. Boise Education Association member Katie Rice, a school nurse, testified against the bill. The bill was so controversial that public testimony has been heard on multiple days.
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