testimony Archives

Capitol Week in Review

Capitol Week in Review | 03/24/2023

Bri Buentello Government Affairs Advisory

Capitol Week in Review brings you news of bills we are tracking around our priorities of advancing educational equity and racial justice in Colorado and making our schools and communities safer and more supportive.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

HB23-1001, Expanding Assistance For Educator Programs, which supports student teachers toward the goal of diversifying the teacher workforce, was sent to the Governor for signature.

HB23-1003, School Mental Health Assessment, which creates the sixth through twelfth grade mental health assessment program was passed on third readings by the House.

HB23-1089, Special Education Services For Students In Foster Care, which designates students in out-of-home placements as residents of the school district of their school of origin to increase stability and learning success, passed on third readings out of the House.

HB22-1112, Earned Income And Child Tax Credits, which increases percentages of the federal credit that a resident individual can claim for the child tax credit on their state income tax and requires the Department of Revenue to adjust for inflation, is scheduled to be heard in the House Finance Committee on March 27.

HB23-1151, Clarifications To 48-hour Bond Hearing Requirement, passed unanimously out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Current law requires an individual who is in jail to be brought before a judge for a bond hearing within 48-hours of arriving at the jail. This bill builds off previous bail reform to further clarify that medical emergencies or addiction treatment is an exception to the 48-hour rule, that the hearing can be held remotely or even through a phone call.

HB23-1169, Limit Arrest For Low-level Offenses, which prohibits a peace officer from arresting a person based solely on the alleged commission of a petty offense, except for high level misdemeanors directly impacting victims (e.g. theft), was rescheduled to be heard by the House Judiciary Committee March 28.

HB23-1235, Technical Modification To Department Of Early Childhood, which makes technical changes HB22-1295, which created Colorado’s universal preschool program, is scheduled to be heard on March 29 in the House Education Committee. This bill would allow the Department of Early Childhood to enter into contracts for early literacy programming and whole-child services, and ensures policy is aligned to current state and federal standards was introduced in the House and assigned to the House Education Committee.

HB23-1241, Task Force To Study K-12 Accountability System, which creates a task force to study academic opportunities, inequities, practices in schools, and improvements to the accountability and accreditation system, is scheduled to be heard on March 29 in the House Education Committee.

HB23-1249, Reduce Justice Involvement for Young Children, was introduced in the House. This bill changes the minimum age – from 10 to 13 – of children who are subject to prosecution in juvenile court; except in the case of homicide.

SB23-039, Reduce Child And Incarcerated Parent Separation, which requires the Department of Human Services to prioritize and facilitate communication and family time between children and their parents who are incarcerated, passed second readings in the Senate.

Our Take

As we shared in last week’s edition of Capitol Week in Review, increasing funding for the Ninth Grade Success Grant program is a top priority of Stand Colorado. 9th grade has come to be well known as the make-or-break year. How well students perform academically in 9th grade can predict their future success. The first year in high school has a huge impact on whether students graduate. In fact, students who end 9th grade on-track are three times more likely to graduate from high school than their off-track peers. (toandthrough.uchicago.edu)

In Colorado, the Center for High School Success (CHSS), a Stand for Children program, partners with four districts who receive funds through the Ninth Grade Success Grant Program. In the 2021-22 school year, On-Track Rates in schools that partner with CHSS in Colorado grew an average of 19 percentage points, drastically increasing the number of students who will graduate in 2025.

It’s clear that implementing a focused 9th grade success is changing the trajectory for Colorado students. By ensuring that students finish their 9th grade year on-track, we ensure students graduate high school prepared for post-secondary success.

Learn more here.

Take Action

The House Appropriations Committee is considering HB23-1231, a bill to support math educators with evidence-based training and interventions to help K- 12th grade students struggling in math. The bill also includes $1.6 million for the Ninth Grade Success Grant program to help ensure that more Colorado students finish their 9th grade year on-track and graduate high school prepared for post-secondary success. Ask the Appropriations Committee to support HB23-1231 with one click!

What We’re Reading

Chalkbeat’s Education Bill Tracker

Let’s Support Educators in Improving Math Outcomes for Students

High School Success | 03/17/2023

Krista Spurgin Executive Director

On Thursday, March 16 the House Education Committee heard HB23-1231: Math In Pre-kindergarten Through Twelfth Grade, which requires CDE to create and offer free, optional trainings in evidence-based practices in mathematics, including a training specifically designed for elementary school educators and a training specifically designed for secondary school mathematics educators. The bill also amends the ninth-grade success grant program and requires the CDE to prioritize applicants that propose programming focused on evidence-based mathematics skills and intervention strategies, including a focus on students who are below grade level or struggling in mathematics and have academic achievement levels in mathematics that are consistently ranked the lowest for public high schools in the state. Funding for the Ninth Grade Success Grant program is a top priority of Stand Colorado. Below is the testimony in support of HB23-1231 of Krista Spurgin, Stand Executive Director.

“Good afternoon Mr. Chair, House Education Committee Members, my name is Krista Spurgin and the Executive Director with Stand for Children Colorado. Stand for Children is an education advocacy and racial justice nonprofit that supports parents, teachers, and community members in their fight for excellent public schools and systems changes that directly impact all of Colorado’s kids.

We are very supportive of HB1231 as a whole and want to specifically speak to the section of this bill that increases funding for the 9^th Grade Success Grant program and prioritizes schools focused on math.

The 9^th Grade Year has been called the Make Or Break year because Students who are on track at the end of the 9^th grade year – meaning they are passing core class such as math and are meeting attendance expectations – are 3 times more likely graduate on time.

Research actually shows that on-track status is a stronger predictor of high school graduation than race/ethnicity, level of poverty, and test scores combined!

In School year 21-22 schools focused on 9^th grade success work increased 9^th grade on-track rates by an average of 19 percentage points putting 2,300 additional students on track to graduation.

We believe that prioritizing grantees that have a plan to focus on math is a great use of the funding and the program. I appreciate your time today and ask for your support of HB23-1231.”

Capitol Week in Review

Capitol Week in Review | 03/11/2023

Bri Buentello Government Affairs Advisory

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

HB23-1001, Expanding Assistance For Educator Programs, which supports student teachers toward the goal of diversifying the teacher workforce, is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Education Committee on March 13.

HB23-1037, Department Of Corrections Earned Time For College Program Completion, which permits an inmate sentenced for a nonviolent felony offense to have earned time deducted from their sentence for each accredited degree or other credential awarded will be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee March 13.

HB23-1042, Admissibility Standards For Juvenile Statements, which increases funding for interrogation training for law enforcement, as well as improves the general reliability of confessions by requiring all juvenile interrogations to be recorded passed second reading in the House and a final vote is expected soon.

HB23-1064, Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, which makes it easier for active-duty military spouses to transfer their teaching licenses without further testing, thereby allowing them to teach in Colorado classrooms faster, is headed to the Governor for signature.

HB23-1100, Restrict Government Involvement In Immigration Detention, passed out of the House. For years, Colorado taxpayers have been picking up the bill of the federal government by allowing the state to contract a private company to detain individuals for federal immigration purposes. This bill would prevent any such further contracts and begins a review process of these contracts over the next two years. It passed the House and was introduced in the Senate and assigned to the Judiciary Committee.

HB23-1109, School Policies and Student Conduct, is scheduled to be heard for action only by the House Education Committee March 29. This bill aims to strengthen due process rights for students, particularly as pertains to behavior off school grounds and outside of school hours. It also increases the training for expulsion hearing officers, including training around disabilities and trauma-informed care and interventions.

HB23-1145, Hearing Timelines Juveniles in Adult Facilities, which aligns Colorado law’s hearing timelines for juveniles held in an adult facility while awaiting trial with the timelines in the federal “Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act”, passed the Senate on third readings 35-0.

HB23-1198, Teacher Externship Program for Science Technology Engineering and Math Disciplines, which creates a statewide program to provide kindergarten through twelfth grade teachers work-based learning opportunities, passed House Education Committee and was referred to the Finance Committee.

HB23-1207, Stipends For National Board-certified Educators, which allows stipends (up to $3200) for educators serving in low-performing, rural or high-needs school districts, passed the House Education Committee and was referred to the Appropriations Committee.

HB23-1211, Collect Data Language Translation Services Special Education, which requires the Department of Education to track the provision of language translation services related to IEPs and include such data as part of its annual “SMART Act” was postponed indefinitely.

SB23-004, Employment Of School Mental Health Professionals, which authorizes a school district to employ health professions, who are not licensed by the Colorado Department of Education but hold a Colorado license for their profession will be heard by the House Education Committee March 29.

SB23-70, Mandatory School Resource Officer Training, is a bill that would require a law enforcement officer to complete a Safe2Tell training curriculum before working as a school resource officer; it passed the Senate unanimously on third reading.

SB23-181, Concerning Screening of Dyslexia in Public Schools, builds on recommendations for further screening and training on how best to screen for individual literacy deficiencies was introduced in the Senate. The bill also establishes an independent ombudsman to represent parents of students with literacy needs.

Our Take

The House is expected to take a final vote soon on HB 23- 1042, Admissibility Standards For Juvenile Statements.

In Colorado, children of color are one and a half to three times more likely to be arrested and interrogated than their white counterparts (CO Dept. of Public Safety, 2020). As a result, children of color are more often harmed by false confessions, directly contributing to the racial disparity in the criminal justice system.

Currently, law enforcement may use deception during interrogation of youth. As you would imagine, children are more susceptible to manipulation and more likely to provide inaccurate information and false confessions under such pressure. In the last twenty-five years, youth who were exonerated after being convicted of crimes, 38% gave false confessions.

HB 23- 1042, Admissibility Standards For Juvenile Statements will:

Increase funding for interrogation training for law enforcement, and
Improve the general reliability of confessions by requiring all juvenile interrogations to be recorded, and
If law enforcement does use deceptive tactics during custodial, interrogation, the judge may discern whether the resulting confession was voluntary and therefore reliable and admissible in trial.

Read personal testimony in support of this legislation on our blog here, here, here, and here.

Take Action

Last week, members of the House Education Committee heard hours of testimony from students, educators, and legal experts asking them to support HB23-1109, School Policies And Student Conduct. This is legislation that promotes restorative practices, ensures reduced legal system involvement, fosters fairness in a system that otherwise considers students guilty until proven innocent, and creates accountability for unregulated and untrained expulsion hearing officers

What We’re Reading

The ‘Science of Reading’ and English-Language Learners: What the Research Says

Chalkbeat’s Education Bill Tracker

Capitol Week in Review

Capitol Week in Review | 03/3/2023

Bri Buentello Government Affairs Advisory

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

HB23-1024, Relative And Kin Placement Of A Child, which establishes measures to support reunification of a child or youth with their family when the child or youth has been temporarily placed with a relative or kin outside of the family home, passed unanimously in the House Public & Behavioral Health & Human Services Committee and was referred to the Committee on Appropriations.

HB23-1100, Restrict Government Involvement In Immigration Detention, passed out of the House. For years, Colorado taxpayers have been picking up the bill of the federal government by allowing the state to contract a private company to house or detain individuals for federal civil immigration purposes. This bill would prevent any such further contracts and begins a review process of these contracts over the next two years. It passed out of the House on third readings, 41-22.

HB23-1109, School Policies and Student Conduct, was heard in the House Education Committee and laid over for a vote. This bill aims to strengthen due process rights for students, particularly as pertains to behavior off school grounds and outside of school hours. It also increases the training for expulsion hearing officers, including training around disabilities and trauma-informed care and interventions.

HB23-1172, Child Welfare And Juvenile Court Jurisdiction, a bill brought by Denver Area Human Services that seeks to provide improved care for children in foster care while maintaining parent rights, was introduced in the Senate.

HB23-1187, Alternatives In Criminal Justice System And Pregnant Persons, which requires the court to consider alternatives, such as probation, to pregnant or postpartum defendants if the risk of incarceration outweighs risk to the public, passed out of the House 44 – 19.

HB23-1188, Individualized Learning Schools And Programs, which authorizes a public or charter school to offer an individualized learning program or become an individualized learning school, was rescheduled to be heard in the House Education Committee on March 23.

HB23-1198, Teacher Externship Program for Science Technology Engineering and Math Disciplines, which creates a statewide program to provide kindergarten through twelfth grade teachers work-based learning opportunities, is scheduled to be heard in the House Education Committee on March 8.

HB23-1207, Stipends For National Board-certified Educators, which allows cash stipends (up to $3200) for teachers, social workers, librarians and administrators serving in low-performing, rural or high needs school districts, is scheduled to be heard in the House Education Committee on March 8.

HB23-1211, Collect Data Language Translation Services Special Education, which requires the department of education to track the provision of language translation services related to IEPs and include such data as part of its annual “SMART Act” hearing, is scheduled to be heard in the House Education Committee on March 9.

Our Take

Hundreds of Colorado students are expelled from schools every year for low-level nonviolent conduct or based on mere allegations. This disproportionately impacts children of color and students with disabilities.

On Thursday, the House Education Committee heard HB23-1109, School Policies And Student Conduct. This is a bill that promotes restorative practices, ensures reduced legal system involvement, fosters fairness in a system that otherwise considers students guilty until proven innocent, and creates accountability for unregulated and untrained expulsion hearing officers. After hours of testimony, the bill was laid over for a vote on March 16.

Expelling students exposes them to a greater likelihood of delinquency or criminal system involvement and is therefore more expensive and less effective than keeping students in school. We’re so grateful to the parents, educators, and community leaders who joined us to testify in support of this legislation. We stand for safe and supportive schools and communities for all students and are proud to advocate for this bill alongside so many students, educators, and legal experts.

Here’s what they had to say:

“If we don’t make the change now to have skillful and well-versed advocates making informed decisions for our students and their families then we are accepting a system that funnels students out of the classroom and into the juvenile and criminal legal system.” Tina Carroll, educator, parent, and Stand Advocacy Fellow

“…young people will someday become adults and if we continue to treat them like marginalized members of society, we may pay a higher price in the end. If someone had taken the time to see me as more than a problem to get rid of, I might have had an easier road to get to where I am now.” Jesse Rula, educator, parent, and Stand Advocacy Fellow

“As a high school counselor, I am forced to witness and triage the fallout of failed exclusionary discipline on practically a daily basis. Our best, most obvious solution is to focus on… addressing the harm done to individual and community…while focusing heavily on the rehabilitation of the perpetrator.” Lauren Kinney, school counselor and Stand Advocacy Fellow

Take Action

What We’re Reading

‘I spent over $6,763 on phone calls’: Colorado lawmakers debate bill to offer free phone calls to inmates

Chalkbeat’s Education Bill Tracker

Most of the time Students Need Services, Kindness, & Respect -Not Expulsion

Legislation | 03/2/2023

Lauren Kinney School Counselor and Stand Advocacy Fellow

High School Students With Teacher In Class Using Laptops Smiling

Today the House Education Committee heard HB23-1109, School Policies And Student Conduct. This is a bill that promotes restorative practices, ensures reduced legal system involvement, fosters fairness in a system that otherwise considers students guilty until proven innocent, and creates accountability for unregulated and untrained expulsion hearing officers. Lauren Kinney, school counselor and Stand Advocacy Fellow prepared testimony in support of HB23-1109 that was read during the hearing by government affairs director, Bri Buentello. Below are those remarks.

“My name is Lauren Kinney and I am asking you to support HB23-1109. As a high school counselor, I am forced to witness and triage the fallout of failed exclusionary discipline on practically a daily basis. The amount of time I spend responding to frustrated teachers, admin hell-bent on maintaining the status quo of zero-tolerance policies, exhausted parents, and students that are starved for connection and struggling to cope with the trauma of a pandemic.

Students need services, kindness, respect, and to be taught the Colorado Essential Skills (Empowered Individual, Communicator, Problem Solver, and Community Member). We have local and national data warning us for decades about the unintended consequences of even a single failed class or suspension on graduation rates and the likelihood of entering the criminal justice system.

We know that one suspension in ninth grade doubles the risk of failing classes and increases the risk of dropping out by 20% (Mallett, 2016).
Students that fail one or more classes during their freshman year only have a 14% likelihood of graduating on time with their peers (ASCA, 2019).

If you explore the Education Department’s Civil Rights Data Collection website, you will see that regardless of the county in Colorado, our marginalized students are disproportionately impacted by these antiquated systems. 

Our best, most obvious solution is to focus on Restorative Justice Practices focused on addressing the harm done to individual and community stakeholders while focusing heavily on the rehabilitation of the perpetrator. There is significant evidence that RJP can improve student misbehavior, minimize exclusionary discipline, reduce discipline gaps related to race and disabilities, and have a positive impact on the students’ and teachers’ perceptions of the safety and pro-social climate of the schools.

Because you all have the advantage of using your fully-formed adult brains, I urge you to consider the long-term unintended consequences of our children’s behaviors that their underdeveloped brains cannot.” 

I was Expelled – My Behavior was a Cry For Help

Legislation | 03/2/2023

Jesse Rula Stand Advocacy Fellow, Educator, Parent and Community Leader

Today the House Education Committee heard HB23-1109, School Policies And Student Conduct. This is a bill that promotes restorative practices, ensures reduced legal system involvement, fosters fairness in a system that otherwise considers students guilty until proven innocent, and creates accountability for unregulated and untrained expulsion hearing officers. Jesse Rula, educator, parent, and Stand Advocacy Fellow prepared testimony in support of HB23-1109 that was read during the hearing by state organizing director, Ivana Bejaran Rib. Below are those remarks.

“My name is Jesse Rula and I am asking for your support of HB23-1109. Reducing the number of expulsions happening to Colorado youth is something I feel very strongly about due to my own personal experience.

I was a struggling teenager and was expelled from 2 different schools. I had a lot of personal things going on and it spilled into my school life. I was never expelled for anything related to drugs or violence but overall disruptive behavior. What I wish my teachers and school staff would have known was that my behavior was a cry for help.

Being expelled didn’t help. It only left me with more time in the same unhealthy environment I was in. What I needed was for the school to see that my behavior was a symptom of something bigger but instead I was allowed to slip through the cracks. Eventually, I just quit school altogether. Being expelled and struggling to find a school that would look at me as more than the reputation that preceded me became too hard and I gave up. I ended up pregnant at 16 and a high school dropout.

Despite all that, I am a success story. I did get my life together and I managed to go to college and eventually get my master’s degree. I ended up working for the same school system that failed me because I never wanted it to happen to another student. Despite what some of our students look like now, we have no idea what potential they have in the future. Just because a student is struggling, or making bad choices now, doesn’t mean they can’t accomplish great things with the right support.

Expelling students, especially for smaller infractions, is only a temporary fix for a much larger problem. It often leads to kids just quitting all together. In the end, these young people will someday become adults and if we continue to treat them like marginalized members of society, we may pay a higher price in the end.

If someone had taken the time to see me as more than a problem to get rid of, I might have had an easier road to get to where I am now. Please, don’t allow schools to be so quick to turn our students out. Give them a chance to thrive and succeed, thank you. “

We Cannot Accept an Education System that Funnels Students out of the Classroom and Into the Criminal System

Uncategorized | 03/2/2023

Tina Carroll Stand Advocacy Fellow, Educator, Parent and Community Leader

Today the House Education Committee heard HB23-1109, School Policies And Student Conduct. This is a bill that promotes restorative practices, ensures reduced legal system involvement, fosters fairness in a system that otherwise considers students guilty until proven innocent, and creates accountability for unregulated and untrained expulsion hearing officers. Tina Carroll, educator, parent, and Stand Advocacy Fellow prepared testimony in support of HB23-1109 that was read during the hearing by parent organizer, Natalie Perez. Below are those remarks.

“Hello, my name is Tina Carroll and I have a third-grade student that attends school in Jefferson County. I am an educator who also serves as a conduct and community standards officer. As a parent, educator, and servant leader in the community, I believe HB23-1109 closely aligns and has the potential to be the change we need to see in our schools and communities. The biggest component of this bill that resonates with me is the responsibility and pertinent role of the hearing officer. It is truly unimageable that we have individuals deciding our children’s future who are not trained in trauma, conflict resolution, cultural competency and familiar with milestones in children development. Although this is not an exhaustive list, it is clear that we are allowing our students to enter into an education system at a disadvantage. If we don’t make the change now to have skillful and well-versed advocates making informed decisions for our students and their families than we are accepting a system that funnels students out of the classroom and into the juvenile and criminal legal system.  

It is no secret that racial and ethnic minorities and children with disabilities are disproportionately represented in our legal system and in our classrooms. And to continue operating in a system where hearing officers are permitted to take a more punitive approach, instead of a responsive one is disheartening and a casualty in our education system.  

Members of the house, today I ask that you vote yes on this bill and take a stand for all children in the state of Colorado and mandate that we use best practices, by making sure that all hearing officers are subject matter experts, have ongoing trainings, and adequate resources for effective life changing outcomes and behavior modifications that will keep our children in the classrooms where they belong. ”

Action Alert: Contact the House Education Committee and ask them to Support HB23-1109

Legislation | 03/2/2023

Bri Buentello Government Affairs Director

The House Education Committee will soon consider HB23-1109, School Policies And Student Conduct. This is a bill that promotes restorative practices, ensures reduced legal system involvement, fosters fairness in a system that otherwise considers students guilty until proven innocent, and creates accountability for unregulated and untrained expulsion hearing officers.

Email the house education committee

Expelling students exposes them to a greater likelihood of delinquency or criminal system involvement and is therefore more expensive and less effective than keeping students in school.

We need you to weigh in please! Will you email Members of the House Education Committee today and ask them to support HB23-1109?

Capitol Week in Review

Capitol Week in Review | 02/24/2023

Bri Buentello Government Affairs Advisory

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

HB23-1024, Relative And Kin Placement Of A Child, which establishes measures to support reunification of a child or youth with their family when the child or youth has been temporarily placed with a relative or kin outside of the family home, is scheduled to be heard in the House Public & Behavioral Health & Human Services Committee on March 1.

HB23-1100, Restrict Government Involvement In Immigration Detention, passed on the House floor and a final vote is expected early next week. For years, Colorado taxpayers have been picking up the bill of the federal government by allowing the state to contract a private company to house or detain individuals for federal civil immigration purposes. This bill would prevent any such further contracts and begins a review process of these contracts over the next two years.

HB23-1109, School Policies and Student Conduct is scheduled to be heard in the House Education Committee on March 2. This bill aims to strengthen due process rights for students, particularly as pertains to behavior off school grounds and outside of school hours. It also increases the training for expulsion hearing officers, including training around disabilities and trauma-informed care and interventions.

HB23-1133, Cost Of Phone Calls For Persons In Custody, which mandates that the Department of Corrections (DOC) shall provide communications services to persons in DOC custody in a correctional facility or private prison, was passed out of House Judiciary and referred to the Committee on Appropriations on a vote of 8-4.

HB23-1168, Legal Representation And Students With Disabilities, which requires CDE to create and maintain a list of attorneys qualified to represent a parent in a due process complaint and creates a fund to pay attorneys defending parents against due process complaints filed by an education provider, passed unanimously out of the House of Education and was referred to the Committee on Appropriations.

HB23-1188, Individualized Learning Schools And Programs, which authorizes a public or charter school to offer an individualized learning program or become an individualized learning school, is scheduled to be heard in the House Education Committee on March 2.

HB23-1212, Promotion Of Apprenticeships, directs the Office of Future of Work in the Department of Labor and Employment to create an apprenticeship navigator pilot program to promote apprenticeships to high school students, was introduced in the House.

SB23-004, Employment Of School Mental Health Professionals, which authorizes a school district to employ health professions, such as psychologists, who are not licensed by the Colorado Department of Education but hold a Colorado license for their profession, was referred to the Committee of the Whole and will be placed on the consent calendar in the Senate.

SB23-115, Department of Education Supplemental, which moves state dollars towards the Deptartment of Education for programs administered by the state, passed out of the House and will now be sent to the Governor.

SB23-136, Adjustments To School Funding Fiscal Year 2022-23, which concerns the adjustment of state dollars to local school districts, passed out of the House and will now be sent to the Governor.

SB23-158, Sunset Colorado Commission On Criminal And Juvenile Justice, which continues the Commission until September 1, 2028, was introduced in the Senate.

OUR TAKE

We are thrilled HB23-1133, Cost Of Phone Calls For Persons In Custody, which mandates that the Department of Corrections (DOC) provide communications services to persons in DOC custody in a correctional facility or private prison, passed out of the House Judiciary Committee.

Natalie Perez, Stand Community Organizer, testified in support of the bill saying, “Phone calls should be accessible. It seems absurd that inmates have to pay the current rates for a phone call when sometimes that is the only way they can stay in touch with their loved ones.”

1 in 3 families with an incarcerated loved one goes into debt trying to pay predatory prison telecom vendors to maintain contact and 87% of the financial burden is borne by women. Every child deserves to hear “I love you” from their parent. Communication mitigates the trauma suffered by the 1 in 28 children whose parents are incarcerated. When people incarcerated are connected to their outside lives there are less incidents in facilities and recidivism is reduced. The positive social and fiscal benefits associated with communication significantly outweigh its costs.

WHAT WE’RE READING

For part-time college faculty, Colorado bill offers some relief. What about the larger problem?

Chalkbeat’s Education Bill Tracker

Capitol Week in Review

Capitol Week in Review | 02/13/2023

Bri Buentello Government Affairs Advisory

Legislative Update

HB23-1001, Expanding Assistance For Educator Programs, which supports student teachers toward the goal of diversifying the teacher workforce passed the House and will be heard by the Senate Education Committee next.

HB23-1003, School Mental Health Assessment, which creates the sixth through twelfth grade mental health assessment program passed in the House Public and Behavior Health and Human Services Committee on a 7-4 vote and was referred to the Committee on Appropriations.

HB23-1064, Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, which makes it easier for active-duty military spouses to transfer their teaching licenses without further testing, thereby allowing them to teach in Colorado classrooms faster, passed 46 – 16 in the House.

HB23-1089, Special Education Services For Students In Foster Care, which designates students in out-of-home placements as residents of the school district of their school of origin to increase stability and learning success, is scheduled to be heard in the House Education Committee on February 16.

HB23-1100, Restrict Government Involvement in Immigration Detention passed in the House Judiciary Committee on a vote of 7 – 6. For years, Colorado taxpayers have been picking up the bill of the federal government by allowing the state to contract a private company to house or detain individuals for federal civil immigration purposes. This bill would prevent any such further contracts and begins a review process of these contracts over the next two years.

HB 23-1112, Earned Income and Child Tax Credits, which will give more money to more working-class families by expanding eligibility of the Earned Income Tax Credit, is scheduled to be heard in the House Finance Committee on February 13.

HB23-1145, Hearing Timelines Juveniles In Adult Facilities, passed unanimously in Committee and was referred to the Committee of the Whole. The bill aligns the timelines for hearings in Colorado law for a juvenile already ordered to be held in an adult facility while awaiting trial with the timelines in the federal “Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act”.

HB23-1187, Alternatives In Criminal Justice System And Pregnant Persons, which requires the court to consider alternatives, such as probation, to pregnant or postpartum defendants if the risk of incarceration outweighs risk to the public, was introduced in the House.

SB23-004, Employment Of School Mental Health Professionals, which authorizes a school district to employ health professions, such as psychologists, who are not licensed by the Colorado Department of Education but hold a Colorado license for their profession, passed unanimously in the Senate Committee of Health and Human Services.

SB23-039, Reduce Child and Incarcerated Parent Separation, which requires the Department of Human Services to prioritize the facilitate communication and family time between children and their parents who are incarcerated will be heard February 13.

SB23-070, Mandatory School Resource Officer Training, which requires a law enforcement officer to complete a school resource officer training curriculum before working as a school resource officer, will be heard in the Senate Education Committee on February 13.

SB23-071, Education Accountability Act, which allows a school district to seek judicial review or file a civil action for declaratory relief against rules, regulations, or final orders of the Colorado state board of education, will be heard in the Senate Education Committee on February 13.

SB23-075, Deletion Of Child’s Name From Criminal Justice Records, which concerns children’s data privacy by ensuring that children’s names are not included in public criminal justice records, most notably by requiring the notation “child witness” on a criminal record involving a child witness, will be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 13.

SB23-082, Colorado Fostering Success Voucher Program, which establishes a program to provide housing vouchers and case management services to eligible foster youth, passed unanimously in the Senate Committee of Health and Human Services.

SB23-087, Teacher Degree Apprenticeship Program, which creates a teacher degree apprenticeship program as an alternative route to teacher licensure and helps to alleviate the educator shortage, passed unanimously in the Senate Education Committee.

SB23-099, Special Education Funding, which increases special education funding by an additional $40M passed unanimously out of the Senate Education Committee.

SB23-115, Department of Education Supplemental, which moves state dollars towards the dept. of education for programs administered by the state, passed unanimously in the Senate. SB23-136, Adjustments To School Funding Fiscal Year 2022-23, which concerns the adjustment of state dollars to local school districts, was introduced in the Senate.

Our Take

Two of our teammates weighed in on policies designed to make schools and communities safer and more supportive.

Stand organizer, Natalie Perez, testified in support of HB23-1003, School Mental Health Assessment, saying, “I believe our schools should be a safe place for our kids, and having a program where every child is assessed would go a long way. Having a qualified provider at every school in these times where our children are going through pain and large amounts of stress would not only create safer communities, but it would also help students understand what they are feeling.”

Stand organizer, Vallerie Bustamante, testified in support of HB23-1100, Restrict Government Involvement in Immigration Detention, saying, “Growing up with the fear that my parents or any extended family member would end up detained and sent off to a facility where living conditions are evidently inhumane, was probably the first thought that crossed my mind as I woke up, as I overachieved in school, as I was thinking of what college to attend, as I applied to my first job at 15 to help with bills because my mom was laid off due to a warning about ICE coming to her factory, as I watched the news with anticipation whenever the highlight said ‘immigration reform’. Although an end all be all immigration reform has not been passed, legislation like the one presented today is certainly a step forward towards that direction.”