Rep. Wendy Horman (R-Idaho Falls) isn’t done trying to reshape Idaho’s public schools yet.
Horman, who scored a political victory this week when Governor Little signed her voucher bill, advanced a bill that would strip local input and put the Idaho Legislature in charge of high school graduation requirements.
The Idaho Department of Education currently has jurisdiction over the graduation requirements, which must then be approved by the Legislature. House Bill 298 would upend that system by transferring requirements to state code – and only the Legislature, the governor or a successful voter ballot initiative can change state code.
During the bill’s hearing in front of the House Education Committee on Thursday, Idaho State Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield testified that the current process to create and recommend graduation requirements – which involves public educator working groups and public meetings held over several months — already works. Her plea to keep the bill in committee didn’t work, however, and the bill advanced 8-6. It now heads for a vote on the House floor.
Catching Up on Other 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:
Anti-pride flags. House Bill 41, which has already passed the House, was amended this week and could soon be up for a vote in the Senate.
Behavior. 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, passed the House this week. The bill would also require parents and guardians to disclose if a student has been convicted of a severe crime. It now heads to 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.
Bullying. HB 44, 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.
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. 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 re-referred to the House Education Committee.
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 received a hearing this week in the Senate Education Committee that was cut short; it’s expected to be taken up at a later date.
Guns in schools. House Bill 273, introduced by Rep. Ted Hill (R-Eagle), 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. It is awaiting a hearing in the House State Affairs Committee.
Levies. Senate Bill 1094, sponsored by Sen. Ben Toews (R-Coeur d’Alene), would increase the maximum duration of levies from two years to six years. The bill passed the Senate and is awaiting a hearing in the House Education Committee.
Opt in to sex education. House Bill 239, sponsored by Rep. Barbara Ehardt (R-Idaho Falls), would require parents and guardians to opt in to “all sexually explicit material.” It passed the House Education Committee this week.
Parent tech awareness program. The Senate this week passed Senate Bill 1070, sponsored by Sen. Kevin Cook (R-Idaho Falls), to create a parent tech awareness program to combat “online threats.” It now heads to the House.
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.
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. The bill passed the Senate and now heads to the House 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.
Teaching cursive. Sen. Nichols sponsored Senate Bill 1044, which would require proficiency benchmarks for cursive handwriting. It has passed the Senate and is headed to the House Education Committee.
Ten Commandments. House Bill 238 would require public schools to display the Ten Commandments. It has been referred to the House Education 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 passed the Senate this week and is now headed to the House.
Union busting. House Bill 98 – a union-busting bill that only targets IEA – passed the House 40-29. It is still waiting for a hearing in the Senate State Affairs Committee.
The House State Affairs Committee this week advanced a bill that targets the Professional Fire Fighters of Idaho; if enacted, the legislation would severely limit Idaho fire fighters’ collective bargaining rights. PFFI, just like IEA, has been able to collectively bargain for more than 50 years. House Bill 340 should receive a hearing in the next couple of weeks.
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.
