HB2786

THE CONTEXT: A governing board, in consultation with parents, teachers and administrators, must adopt a policy to promote the involvement of parents of children enrolled in the school district. This policy must contain procedures for parents to: 1) learn about their child's course of study and review learning materials; 2) have access to the school's library collection and books and materials borrowed by their child; 3) withdraw their child from any learning materials or activities to which the parent objects; and 4) learn about parental rights and responsibilities.

WHAT THE BILL DID: The final vetoed version would require a governing board, as part of its parental involvement policy, or governing body to prescribe procedures to do the following if the school district or charter school requires, endorses, recommends, encourages, funds, facilitates or provides a training for teachers or school administrators: a) notify parents of the training; and b) give parents access to any printed or digital materials used for the training, define training to: a) mean a class, seminar, webinar, in-person instruction or printed or digital material that addresses curricula, teaching methods, classroom strategies, student discipline, learning environment or social and emotional learning, including training related to racial, sexual, gender identity, political or social issues; and b) exclude training in which the teacher or school administrator participates outside of the context of their official duties, and requires, rather than allows, a governing board to adopt a policy to provide parents the information contained its parental involvement policy in an electronic format.

WHY IT MATTERED: The practical reason for this bill was to turn the Legislature's standard for teacher training into an enforceable rule. It would require a governing board, as part of its parental involvement policy, or governing body to prescribe procedures to do the following if the school district or charter school requires, endorses, recommends, encourages, funds, facilitates or provides a training for teachers or school administrators: a) notify parents of the training; and b) give parents access to any printed or digital materials used for the training, and would also define training to: a) mean a class, seminar, webinar, in-person instruction or printed or digital material that addresses curricula, teaching methods, classroom strategies, student discipline, learning environment or social and emotional learning, including training related to racial, sexual, gender identity, political or social issues; and b) exclude training in which the teacher or school administrator participates outside of the context of their official duties, rather than leave the current rule unchanged.