We hope all of our members who were off this week had a restful and relaxing week. If you were in NH it was a good week for winter sports with fresh snow finally making frequent appearances after being scarce for much of the winter. Now March is roaring in like a lion, both weatherwise and legislatively. The legislature is back next week after taking a week off of their own and there will be a sprint to make all of their various deadlines over the next three weeks before all the successful House Bills have to go to the Senate and the Senate Bills have to go to the House.
Parental Bill of Rights Looking ahead we wanted to highlight this Tuesday, March 7th as an important day. On March 7th, the House Children and Family Law Committee will hear their version of the so-called Parental Bill of Rights, HB 10, and the Senate Education Committee will hear the Senate version of the so-called Parental Bill of Rights, SB 272. The House and Senate each have their own unique version of the bill. No one argues that parents have many strong rights when raising their children and these two bills attempt to explain those rights. They also attempt to make teachers and school staff extensions of each individual parents’ authority and subject to each individual parents’ wishes in how they want to raise their children. This is where the bills get problematic. We all know that when schools and parents work as partners to support students, the students achieve the best academically and thrive. These bills, unfortunately, don’t allow for partnership, only obedience or punishment.
Additionally, on March 7th there is a bill that would mandate school officials call a student by their given name and use their given pronouns HB 619. This bill also gives parents the sole right to the moral upbringing of their child. Does that mean a kindergarten teacher would break the law by teaching the class about sharing and taking turns?
While the bills are different there are some themes and problems that occur in each bill or would result because of passage of any of these bills.
- Schools work best when students trust their teachers and school staff
- Both so-called Parental Bill of Rights Bills would create an environment where students cannot trust their educators with sometimes complicated questions and thoughts about their identity. Students learn best when they feel safe, and this bill would erode that feeling for some students.
- Punishments for violation of the law are overreaching and out of line
- Educators operate under a code of conduct enforced by the NH Department of Education. The code of conduct is used to determine if discipline, which could include revocation of professional certification for school employees depending on the circumstances. School district employees are also subject to discipline by their own school district. These bills open up teachers to litigation, Class A misdemeanor penalties or even a loss of their teaching license without ever going through the code of conduct process.
- These bills do nothing to foster the community needed for schools to succeed.
- Parents and teachers working together are what is best for our students and our schools. These bills foster an environment of mistrust and instead of strengthening our schools they actively weaken them. Our students, our parents, our communities, and our educators deserve better.
Full House Session on March 9th The House will be meeting next week to take up a slew of bills they need to pass before the March 23rd deadline. We do not have the calendar yet, but these bills could include voucher expansion bills and banned books among others. We will pass more information on as it becomes available and we complete our review
Action Needed
If you have not yet taken action, please sign in and OPPOSE the above-discussed bills by utilizing the Remote Sign in links below for the House and Senate:
Directions for Remote Sign-In
You will just need to enter in your personal information and use the above bill numbers and hearing dates to register your opposition.
REMOTE SIGN IN FOR HOUSE COMMITTEES
House Bill 10 (Parental Bill of Rights)
Children and Family Law, March 7th at 1:15 p.m.
House Bill 619 (Prohibiting gender transition procedures for minors, relative to sex and
gender in public schools, and relative to the definition of conversion therapy)
Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs, March 7th at 10:00 a.m.
REMOTE SIGN INN FOR SENATE COMMITTEES
Senate Bill 272 (Parental Bill of Rights)
Senate Education, March 7, 2023 at 9:00 a.m.
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You can also read written testimony submitted to the legislature at STATE HOUSE NEWS.
Legislative Schedule for the Week of March 6th
Bill | Description | Sponsors | Location | |
Mon 3/6 9:30 AM | HB 552 | Relative to Making Incentive Grants For School Districts That Improve In Certain Assessment Scores. | Rep. Michael Moffett | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Mon 3/6 9:30 AM | HB 553 | Relative to School District Information On Personnel Salaries. | Rep. Glenn Cordelli | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Mon 3/6 9:30 AM | HB 382 | Authorizing Local School Boards to Give Students Release Time For Participation In Religious Instruction In An Elective Course For The Purposes Of Satisfying Curriculum Requirements. | Rep. Matthew Santonastaso | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Mon 3/6 9:30 AM | HB 377 | Relative to Screening and Intervention In Public Schools For Dyslexia and Related Disorders. | Rep. Katelyn Kuttab | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Mon 3/6 9:30 AM | HB 536 | Relative to The Chartered Public School Joint Legislative Oversight Committee. | Rep. Linda Tanner | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Mon 3/6 9:30 AM | HB 528 | Relative to School Lunches and Establishing The Meals For Students Fund. | Rep. Timothy Horrigan | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Mon 3/6 9:30 AM | HB 168 | Relative to Surety Indemnification For Career Schools. | Rep. Glenn Cordelli | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Mon 3/6 9:30 AM | HB 399 | Allowing For A Testing Exception For Graduation From High School. | Rep. Travis Corcoran | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Mon 3/6 9:30 AM | HB 628 | Requiring Certain Non-public Schools or Education Service Providers That Accept Public Funds to Perform Background Checks On All Employees and Volunteers. | Rep. Linda Tanner | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) Executive Session |
Mon 3/6 9:30 AM | HB 71 | Repealing A Department Of Education Report On Chartered Public School Funding. | Rep. Maureen Mooney | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Tue 3/7 9:00 AM | SB 272 | Establishing A Parents' Bill Of Rights In Education. | Sen. Sharon Carson | LOB 101 (Education/S) |
Tue 3/7 9:30 AM | HB 371 | Establishing A Commission to Evaluate and Recommend Standards For Public Schools. | Rep. David Luneau | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Tue 3/7 9:30 AM | HB 267 | Relative to Criminal Records Checks In School Employment. | Rep. Joe Alexander | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Tue 3/7 9:30 AM | HB 625 | Relative to The Calculation Of Average Daily Membership In Attendance and Average Daily Membership In Residence For School Districts. | Rep. Glenn Cordelli | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Tue 3/7 9:30 AM | HB 550 | Relative to Chartered Public School Dissolution. | Rep. Sallie Fellows | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Tue 3/7 9:30 AM | HB 451 | Relative to The State Board Of Education Prohibition On Discrimination. | Rep. Linda Tanner | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Tue 3/7 9:30 AM | HB 629 | Establishing A Student Bill Of Rights. | Rep. Linda Tanner | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Tue 3/7 9:30 AM | HB 427 | Relative to Public Comment and Inquiry During School Board Meetings. | Rep. Judy Aron | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) Executive Session |
Tue 3/7 9:30 AM | HB 185 | Relative to The Determination Of Parental Rights and Responsibilities Based On Shared Parenting and Shared Access to The Child's Records. | Rep. Lisa Post | LOB 206-208 (Children and Family Law/H) |
Tue 3/7 10:00 AM | HB 540 | Relative to Adequate Education Grant Amounts For Pupils Receiving Special Education Services. | Rep. Rick Ladd | LOB 201-203 (Finance/H) |
Tue 3/7 10:00 AM | HB 601 | Relative to State Participation In The Medicaid Direct Certification Program For Free and Reduced Price School Meals. | Rep. Mary Heath | LOB 209 (Finance/H) |
Tue 3/7 10:00 AM | HB 620 | (new Title) Establishing A Division Of Early Learning In The Department Of Education and Relative to A Pre-kindergarten Pilot Program. | Rep. Mary Heath | LOB 209 (Finance/H) |
Tue 3/7 10:00 AM | HB 364 | Relative to Transportation For Students Attending Career and Technical Education Centers. | Rep. Rick Ladd | LOB 209 (Finance/H) |
Tue 3/7 10:00 AM | HB 272 | Increasing Chartered Public School Per Pupil Funding. | Rep. Maureen Mooney | LOB 209 (Finance/H) |
Tue 3/7 10:00 AM | HB 626 | Requiring The Department Of Education to Administer The Education Freedom Account. | Rep. David Luneau | LOB 209 (Finance/H) |
Tue 3/7 10:00 AM | HB 529 | Relative to Additional Aid Grants For Schools Based On Free and Reduced Price Meals and Fiscal Capacity Disparity. | Rep. Sallie Fellows | LOB 209 (Finance/H) Division Work Session |
Tue 3/7 10:00 AM | HB 492 | Requiring The Department Of Education to Provide The House and Senate Standing Committees Responsible For Education with Copies Of The Laws and Rules Relative to Education. | Rep. Linda Tanner | LOB 209 (Finance/H) |
Tue 3/7 10:00 AM | HB 430 | Relative to Applications For The Education Freedom Accounts Program. | Rep. David Luneau | LOB 209 (Finance/H) |
Tue 3/7 10:00 AM | HB 619 | Prohibiting Gender Transition Procedures For Minors, Relative to Sex and Gender In Public Schools, and Relative to The Definition Of Conversion Therapy. | Rep. Terry Roy | Representatives' Hall (Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs/H) |
Tue 3/7 1:15 PM | HB 10 | Establishing The Parental Bill Of Rights. | Rep. Sherman Packard | LOB 206-208 (Children and Family Law/H) |
Wed 3/8 9:00 AM | HB 533 | Relative to Public School Human Rights Complaints. | Rep. Glenn Cordelli | LOB 206-208 (Judiciary/H) |
Wed 3/8 9:30 AM | HB 104 | Relative to Multi-stall Bathrooms and Locker Rooms In Schools. | Rep. Michael Moffett | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 3/8 9:30 AM | CACR 7 | Relating to Use Of Money Raised By Taxation For Education. Providing That Money Raised By Taxation May Be Applied For The Use Of Religious Educational Institutions. | Rep. Glenn Cordelli | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) Executive Session |
Wed 3/8 9:30 AM | HB 331 | Relative to The Income Threshold For The Education Freedom Account Program. | Rep. Alicia Lekas | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 3/8 9:30 AM | HB 275 | Relative to Schools Approved For A School Tuition Program By A School Board. | Rep. Rick Ladd | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 3/8 9:30 AM | HB 61 | Relative to Teaching On Discrimination In The Public Schools and Discrimination In Public Workplaces. | Rep. Peter Petrigno | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 3/8 9:30 AM | HB 432 | Relative to Participation In The Education Freedom Accounts Program. | Rep. David Luneau | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 3/8 9:30 AM | HB 446 | Relative to Participation In The Education Freedom Accounts Program By Students with Disabilities. | Rep. Patricia Cornell | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 3/8 9:30 AM | HB 516 | Relative to Freedom Of Speech and Association At Public Institutions Of Higher Education. | Rep. Daniel Popovici-Muller | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 3/8 10:00 AM | HB 533 | Relative to Public School Human Rights Complaints. | Rep. Glenn Cordelli | LOB 206-208 (Judiciary/H) |
Wed 3/8 11:00 AM | HB 557 | Relative to The Department Of Health and Human Services' Rulemaking Authority Regarding Immunization Requirements. | Rep. Jim Kofalt | LOB 201-203 (Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs/H) Executive Session |
Wed 3/8 11:00 AM | HB 378 | Requiring A Health Care Provider to Inform and Offer to Take and Preserve Blood and Urine Samples From A Patient Who May Have Been Drugged or Sexually Assaulted. | Rep. Ellen Read | LOB 201-203 (Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs/H) |
Wed 3/8 11:00 AM | HB 114 | Relative to The Age At Which A Minor May Receive Mental Health Treatment Without Parental Consent. | Rep. Donald Bouchard | LOB 201-203 (Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs/H) |
Wed 3/8 1:30 PM | HB 134 | Extending The Public Employees Labor Relations Act to Employees Of The General Court and Relative to The Duties Of The Joint Committee On Legislative Facilities. | Rep. Kristina Schultz | LOB 301-303 (Legislative Administration/H) |
Wed 3/8 1:30 PM | HB 559 | Establishing A State Retirement Plan Group For New State Employee Members Of The Retirement System. | Rep. Dan McGuire | LOB 306-308 (Executive Departments and Administration/H) |
Fri 3/10 9:30 AM | HB 452 | Relative to The Department Of Education Procedures For School Building Aid Applications. | Rep. Rick Ladd | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Mon 3/13 9:30 AM | HB 538 | Establishing A Local Education Freedom Account Program. | Rep. Kevin Verville | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Mon 3/13 9:30 AM | HB 514 | Relative to The Dissemination Of Obscene Material By Schools and Institutions Of Higher Learning. | Rep. Glenn Cordelli | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) Executive Session |
Mon 3/13 9:30 AM | HB 530 | Relative to Withdrawal From A Cooperative School District. | Rep. Glenn Cordelli | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Mon 3/13 9:30 AM | HB 573 | Limiting Education Freedom Account Funding to Budgeted Amounts. | Rep. David Luneau | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Mon 3/13 9:30 AM | HB 515 | Relative to Education Freedom Accounts. | Rep. Glenn Cordelli | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Mon 3/13 9:30 AM | HB 539 | Relative to Vaccination Clinics At Schools. | Rep. Jim Kofalt | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Mon 3/13 9:30 AM | HB 572 | Relative to Eligibility For Free School Meals. | Rep. Muriel Hall | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Mon 3/13 9:30 AM | HB 649 | Repealing The Collection Of The State Education Property Tax. | Rep. Thomas Schamberg | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 3/15 9:30 AM | HB 354 | Relative to Chartered Public School Eligibility For State School Building Aid. | Rep. Maureen Mooney | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 3/15 9:30 AM | HB 452 | Relative to The Department Of Education Procedures For School Building Aid Applications. | Rep. Rick Ladd | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |
Wed 3/15 9:30 AM | HB 621 | Relative to Funds Of The Education Freedom Accounts Program After Termination Of A Student's Participation and Responsibilities Of The Scholarship Organization. | Rep. David Luneau | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) Executive Session |
Wed 3/15 9:30 AM | HB 637 | Relative to The Calculation Of Average Daily Membership In Attendance For Certain Home Educated Pupils. | Rep. Deborah Hobson | LOB 205-207 (Education/H) |