AASB is ready for Gov. Kay Ivey to marshal efforts to bring a comprehensive and coordinated response to the school safety discussion sparked by recent horrific school shootings. Lawmakers and local school leaders are seeking solutions to ensure students are safe at school.Initial conversations with Ivey’s staff indicate she will take the lead.

 

School Safety Requires Swift Cooperative Action

 

AASB is ready for Gov. Kay Ivey to marshal efforts to bring a comprehensive and coordinated response to the school safety discussion sparked by recent horrific school shootings. Lawmakers and local school leaders are seeking solutions to ensure students are safe at school.Initial conversations with Ivey’s staff indicate she will take the lead. School leaders call on state leaders to focus on sound policy, not reactionary measures.The issue is too critical to be sidetracked by highly charged political debates. AASB believes teachers must focus on student instruction, provide leadership and assist students in crisis; not play the role of law enforcement.

There are better options. At the top of the list is having a School Resource Officer(SRO) in schools.Funding remains the obstacle. Some school systems can and do have that presence, but most do not. The National Association of School Resource Officers, headquartered in Hoover, Ala., opposes arming teachers, as do national teacher groups.No one should believe a teacher with a hand gun is going to provide the same security as a trained SRO.

Another strategy would be wrap-around supports to identify and address students in crisis or in need of social or mental health services.Students could receive such services on-site at school with the coordination of state and local resources and personnel.

State School Safety and Security Task Force recommendationspursuant to a 2016 HJR conducted a comprehensive review, identified gaps and submitted best practices for school safety.The recommendations provide a starting point for thoughtful policy discussions.

Among school safety-related legislative proposals this week:

H.236 (Pettus) — School Resource Officers — would authorize a school board to contract with a retired federal or state law enforcement officer with at least 25 years experience to serve as a SRO.Amended/Approved by House Committee.

H.366 (Knight) — Student harassment & cyberbullying — would expand the definition of harassment to include whether or not the behavior occurs on or off school property, online or electronically; named Jamari Terrell Williams Act.Amended/approved by House Committee.

S.323 (Pittman)— ATF use expanded — would authorize school security measures to be listed as one of the permissible expenditures for the supplemental funding released from the Alabama Technology and Advancement Fund. Introduced.

H.442(Farley) —Deadly weapons at school — would prohibit carrying or possessing a deadly weapon on school premises whether or notthe person has intent to do bodily harm. Introduced.

H.435 (Ainsworth) — Arming teachers — would that would authorize administrators or teachers to receive 40 hours of training to carry a firearm on school property.AASB has requested a public hearing to oppose this proposal and defers to law enforcement.Introduced.

H.424 (Givan) — Assault weapons ban — would prohibit assault weapons to be acquired or possessed by anyone under 21 years old. Introduced.

H.447 (Collins)— School Safety Task Force — recreates the Alabama Task Force of School Safety and Security from 2016 and calls for annual meetings.Introduced.

H.449 (Farley)— Volunteer security force — would authorize a trained volunteer school emergency security force for public schools under supervision of the sheriff and chief of police.Introduced.

H.452 (Farley) — Juvenile probation officer — would allow probation officers to share information with schools for limited purposes; removes requirement for intent to cause bodily harm when possessing a deadly weapon at schools.Introduced.

 

Not one more dollar for state

Every K-12 public education entity was present and waiting to speak in opposition to a bill that would abolish the Education Trust Fund and place all state revenue in one budget fund Thursday morning.S.292 (Hightower) proposes a constitutional amendment that would remove earmarks on state revenue and deposit all monies in the General Fund.Merging the education and general fund would not add any revenue to state coffers, but would shift public education dollars to plug the hole in the General Fund. A 2017 PARCA survey confirms education remains voters’ number one state funding priority. The bill sponsor did not make it to the committee meeting, and no public hearing took place.

 

Feds decided, now state lawmakers decide 529 treatment

In December, Congress enacted a federal tax change to allow Section 529 college savings accounts to be used to pay private K-12 school tuition.Alabamians may now receive that federal tax deduction. On Tuesday, the House Fiscal Accountability Committee considered S.189 (Brewbaker) which conforms Alabama law to allow the state deduction for K-12 private school tuition.

AASB and CLAS testified against the bill because local school leaders are concerned about the impact on state education revenue. Proponents of the bill indicate that Alabama’s statute already permits the deduction, leading committee members to question the need for the bill.

This bill is an incentive to save for K-12 private school tuition through a tax deduction which reduces dollars that otherwise would flow to public education.No precise fiscal note can be provided because there is no way to project the number of Alabamians who would participate because of the new incentive. But the bill policy clearly erodes funding support for public education.NOTE:the bill separately amends Section 529 (A) dealing with the ACES Program or the ABLE Program to specifically addresses individuals with disabilities. Local school leaders do not oppose limiting the scope of the bill to address Section 529(A).

 

Education bill updates

H.31 (Crawford) — Outside employment — would remove the prohibition against county school superintendents having employment outside the school system.Rep. Jim Hill amended the bill to require board approval for such employment. House approved by 74-9 vote.

H.69 (Standridge) — Competitive bid for HVAC — would provide an option to participate in a purchasing cooperative for heating/air conditioning units. House approved by 97-2 vote.

S.101 (Orr)— Gifted program grant — would give the State Department of Education authority to offer competitive grants for gifted programs. Local school boards would be required to match any grant funds awarded.Pending final passage in House.

H.166 (Davis) — Marriage and family therapy — Would specify marriage and family therapists may practice in school systems; expands the practice to include the diagnosis of mental and emotional disorders within treatment context.Senate committee adopted and approved a substitute to specify appropriate scope of practice.

Pending final passage in Senate.

H.228 (Standridge) — In God we trust motto — would permit display of the national motto in public buildings, including public schools.Pending final passage in Senate.

S.28 (Pittman) — SFA conflict repeal — would delete a provision in the criminal code and allow school boards to proceed with a disciplinary hearing when an employee is charged with the crime of sexual contact with a student.Pending the governor’s signature.

S.159 (Shelnutt) — Access to employees — would grant all professional educators’ associations the same level of access to school employees.Pending final passage in House.

S.212 (Orr) — Cyber school — would create a statewide residential Alabama cyber technology & engineering school to be located in Huntsville area with its own board of trustees.Approved by Senate by vote of 30-0.