So a funny thing happened to the E-wire while we were down
in Olympia meeting with legislators before the beginning of session. That
funny thing would be slew of Education and PTA related bills
(Educane? Edupaloza? Eduquake?) were pre filed and released at the close
of business yesterday. This is likely to be happening over the next few
days as legislators trickle down to Olympia in preparation for the 2014
Legislative Session which starts in a few days.
With that in mind, onto the Eduquake!
SB 5986 – Senator Doug Ericksen (Bellingham) – Changes the
intent of Federal Forest Dollars to rural districts with a disproportionate
amount of Federal Forest Lands. This bill would now consider the money
generated from the Federal Government as grants in addition to required basic
education funding that the state provides. At present, the money offsets
the statutory baseline requirements for the district.
HB 2158 – Representative Haigh (Belfair) – Establishes
dropout prevention, intervention, and reengagement services as a core service
of Educational Service Districts and tasks them with developing programs and
partnerships to that effect. The bill also would allow ESD’s to grant HS
Credit for completion of courses eligible for credit from that program.
HB 2163 – Representative Paul Harris (Camas) - Bans the sale
of dextromethorphan to minors under the age of 18 without a valid prescription.
HB 2165 – Representative Ruth Kagi (Shoreline) - Requires a
child fatality review to be conducted by the Department of Early Learning if a
child dies under the care of a licensed child care center or licensed child
care home. The results of the review will be recommendations to the
legislature on licensing practices and policies to prevent such incidents in
the future.
HB 2166 – Representative Kristine Lytton (Anacortes) -
Requires OSPI to begin collecting data on school children in military families
in order to track student achievement and incorporate best practices for
educational success.
HB 2167 – Representative Kristine Lytton (Anacortes) -
Technical Correction Bill – changes date of implementation by which schools
identified as “challenged schools” are identified.
SB 5982 - Senator Doug Ericksen (Bellingham) – Limits late
start and early release days to no more than 7 per school year. Districts
may apply for a waiver from OSPI for additional days, but will face a financial
penalty.
SB 5984 – Senator Ericksen (Bellingham) – Bans the sale of
children’s products or furniture which includes TDCPP. Exempts non-profit
organizations from casual or isolated sale or purchase of used materials
containing TDCPP.
SJR 8212 – Provides that the change in salary from the
salary commission can only take place if the budget is passed on time during
the regular legislative session of the odd numbered biennial budget year.
Referendum Clause attached as it is a constitutional amendment.
HB 2164 – Representative Tina Orwall (SeaTac) - Adding a
requirement for minors charged with possession of a firearm to attend
aggression replacement therapy, functional family therapy, or other evidence
based program.
The three new bills which Debbie Deibert & Co just
released will be in tomorrow’s E-Wire. With that…
Onto the E-Wire!
Top story today is the retirement of a widely respected and
beloved legislator, Senator Paull Shin.
Issaquah and Skyline High Schools are now offering an
optional 7th Period
Eastside Catholic will “welcome” engaged drama coach
Despite the calls to arm teachers, most school districts are
looking at other safety options
Challenges facing homeless students
Not earthquakes, nor floods, nor fires will stop students in
most countries from doing their homework (Quite amazing photos)
Changing how we look at discipline
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/rulesforengagement/2014/01/new_federal_school_discipline_guidance_addresses_discrimination_suspensions.htmlAnd
the WA State Board of Education looks deeper into continuing concerns http://blogs.seattletimes.com/educationlab/2014/01/08/state-board-to-discuss-monitoring-school-discipline-more-closely/
Portland School District offers budget toolkits for parents
to participate in funding and spending discussions
As education goes more into the cloud, privacy concerns
increase
Childhood Health – only 1 in 4 children meet the federal
fitness standards
And more on Childhood Obesity intervention http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20140106/ARTICLES/140109829/1017/news0102?Title=Childhood-obesity-intervention-program-helping-local-kids&tc=ar#gsc.tab=0
Should Principals stop visiting classrooms?
AFT President Randi Weingarten opposes using Value Added
Measures for Teacher Evaluations
No Child Left Behind is 12
Early Childhood Education gets a look from Congress
Portland Schools expand access to Vocational Education
Opportunities
Dual Language Schools in Hillsborough
Next Generation Ag
The costs of not insuring kids
Child Protective Services to try new format with Family
Assessment Response
Medicaid enrollees in Washington a success, expanding those
using private insurance? Not so much
Freshmen lawmakers discuss priorities
Why open public records is a good thing
That’s it until tomorrow!
The article, “http://blogs.seattletimes.com/educationlab/2014/01/08/state-board-to-discuss-monitoring-school-discipline-more-closely/“ is particularly interesting as the Obama Administration released Federal discipline guidelines today. This makes the issue far easier to advocate for.
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