HF 2501—Secretary of State Elections Bill: This is a large elections bill proposed by the Secretary of State. It removes the board secretary as being responsible for collecting and filing papers for school board candidates and transfers that duty to the county auditor. 

IASB is registered undecided on the bill, but we think this would be a welcome change to streamline the process of filing to run for the school board. The bill passed the House by a vote of 63-29 and passed the Senate by a vote of 31-16. It will now be sent to Governor Reynolds for her consideration. 

SF 2219—Exempt Absences for School-Sponsored Activities: The House amended this bill to require districts to adopt policy that grants students an exempt absence when students miss school for participation in a school-sponsored activity, program, competition, or project. Students must be allowed to make up the work they miss during these absences.  

IASB is registered undecided on the bill. We think this isn’t necessary as Department of Education guidance already directs school districts to count students “present” when missing for these activities, so there is no need to exempt them from an absence. The bill passed the House by a vote of 85-8 and passed the Senate by a vote of 47-0. It now goes to Governor Reynolds for her consideration. 

SF 2299—Payment for Failed Concurrent Enrollment Course: This bill would require a student or their parent to pay the school district the amount they spent on a concurrent enrollment course if the student fails the course, only if the school district requests it. An amendment in the House added a student withdrawing from a community college course as a reason to charge a student for the cost. 

IASB is registered undecided on the bill. We have concerns that this may dissuade students from enrolling in these courses but understand there should be accountability when students decide to take a community college class. It passed the House by a vote of 62-31 and will be sent back to the Senate for their consideration on the amended version. 

SF 2320—Require In-Person Concurrent Enrollment: This bill would require a student that is enrolled in a concurrent enrollment course to take the in-person option if it is available, rather than the online version. It allows the superintendent to authorize a student to take the online version if necessary. 

IASB is undecided on the bill. We appreciate the local flexibility to allow students to take the online course if needed. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 44-0 and passed the House by a vote of 91-2. 

SF 2218—Verification of Employee Identity and Authorization to Work: The bill would require the Board of Educational Examiners (BOEE) to verify that an applicant for initial licensure is legally authorized to work in the U.S. Additionally, school districts must verify that employees are legally authorized to work in the U.S.  

IASB is registered undecided on the bill. We appreciate the Senate amending the bill to the current “authorized to work” rather than the original “lawful presence” language, as this is a significant difference when referring to employment. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 47-0 and passed the House by a vote of 78-16. An amendment was added by the House, but the Senate refused to concur on that amendment. The House “insisted” on the amendment, so the bill has been sent to a conference committee.