COVID has changed education forever. Let’s embrace the new direction.
There are a few solutions schools should pursue in aiming to be more flexible.
HB 116: Excused Absence Without a Doctor’s Note
This bill allows parents to excuse their children from government schools due to an illness without requiring a doctor's note.
HB 81: Mental Health as an Excused School Absence
This bill allows parents to excuse their children from government schools for issues pertaining to mental health.
HB 14: Changes to Utah’s Truancy Law
This bill improves parental rights in education by ensuring that truancy punishments do not apply to younger children, and that parents of older children are not criminalized for their truancy.
HB 120: Overreaction in the Name of School Safety
This bill proposes to spend $100 million on school safety efforts (which aren't defined in law), and sets up a central database with students' information that law enforcement can access.
SB 198: Transparency Reporting for In-School Police Enforcement
This bill requires an annual report on how in-school police officers are being used.
Excusing Absences: Do Parents Need a Reason?
The Alpine School District offers a great example for how public schools can respect the right of parents to excuse their child's absences.
Enter to Learn, But Leave Your Rights at the Door
Because police officers are increasingly being used in school settings, parents—and the broader public—should be informed as to how and when they are questioning or disciplining young students.
New Poll Shows Utahns Aren’t Sold on State Income Tax Increase for Public Education
Earlier today, the Trafalgar Group (TFG) released a public opinion survey commissioned by Libertas Institute and Americans for Prosperity. The survey showed that only 50% of likely voters support the proposed state income tax...
HB 164: Undermining Parental Rights in Education
This bill was held in committee, not receiving a full vote by the legislature. Libertas Institute opposes this bill. Under current law, a student’s computer adaptive tests results—used to measure performance throughout the...