Legislative Session number- 88

Bill Name: SF0978

3E Modifying policies for early childhood through grade 12 education

ARTICLE
1 - GENERAL EDUCATION

Clarifying and modifying minimal instructional days,
postsecondary enrollment options (PSEO) pupil transportation options, expanding
the definition of transportation services for pupils with disabilities;
expanding the allowable uses of operating capital revenue; allowing school
districts and cooperatives to allocate a maximum percentage of compensatory
revenue for programs to prepare children and their families for kindergarten;
authorizing school districts to use safe school revenue for collocating and
collaborating with certain mental health professionals; increasing the safe
schools levy authority

ARTICLE 2 - STUDENT ACCOUNTABILITY

Defining certain
terms; modifying required academic standards, benchmark standards, graduation
requirements, and credit equivalencies; expanding the guidance to gifted and
talented student programs and requiring school districts to adopt procedures for
early admission to kindergarten or first grade; specifying instructions to the
revisor; repealing certain education rules

ARTICLE 3 - EDUCATION
EXCELLENCE

Establishing certain requirements relating to the classroom
placement of students based on teacher evaluation results; requiring school
districts and charter schools to provide mental health instruction for students
in grades 6-12; clarifying certain duties of school counselors; modifying
certain teacher licensure renewal requirements relating to nonnative English
speakers and the recognition of mental illness in children and adolescents;
allowing a consortium of school districts to use a single application and
evaluation process when applying for permission to enter into a flexible
learning year program; requiring the commissioner of education to annually hold
a field hearing on Indian education and specifying certain consultation
requirements for the tribal nations education committee, requiring the
commissioner to appoint an Indian education director; providing a statewide
assessment and accountability transition; establishing a career and technical
education advisory task force; establishing a teacher licensure advisory task
force; requiring the commissioner of education to develop and submit
recommendations for providing access to licensed student support
services

ARTICLE 4 - CHARTER SCHOOLS

Modifying and clarifying certain
charter school provisions relating to improving pupil learning and student
achievement; modifying charter school lease provisions and nonrenewal or
termination of a charter school contract; conforming certain habitual truant
provisions

ARTICLE 5 - SPECIAL PROGRAMS

Providing for interagency
coordinating council permanency, modifying certain definitions and provisions
relating to restrictive procedures for children with disabilities; modifying
membership and specifying certain reporting requirements; modifying certain
definitions of the interagency early childhood intervention system; modifying
and clarifying certain provisions relating to responsibilities of county and
school boards, interagency early intervention committees, individualized family
service plan (IFSP) and service coordination, early intervention account lead
agency allocation of resources, payment for services and mediation procedures;
authorizing the commissioner of education to amend rules relating to certain
special education provisions; requiring the commissioner to collect information
on the number of homeless children served; repealing a certain provision
relating to early intervention service dollars expenditures and increases
costs

ARTICLE 6 - FACILITIES AND TECHNOLOGY

Changing the name of the
online learning advisory council to the online and digital learning advisory
council; modifying council membership; authorizing council to provide the
education department and legislature with certain input on digital learning
matters; authorizing the commissioner of education to convene a working group to
develop recommendations for reforming the financing of prekindergarten through
grade 12 education facilities to create adequate, equitable and sustainable
financing of public school facilities throughout the state

ARTICLE 7 -
LIBRARIES

Authorizing the department of education to provide aid for public
libraries;
providing a revisor of statutes instruction to change certain
library terms

ARTICLE 8 - EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, SELF-SUFFICIENCY, AND
LIFELONG LEARNING

Requiring the commissioner of education to adopt rules for
providing a standard adult high school diploma; clarifying a previous early
childhood education scholarship appropriation provision to prohibit scholarships
from counting as earned income for purposes of certain assistance programs;
establishing a standard adult high school diploma advisory task force,
specifying membership and duties, requiring report and specifying task force
sunset
(me)