Bill Text: NH HB1434 | 2022 | Regular Session | Amended

New Hampshire House Bill 1434 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Relative to the availability of school curriculum materials.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 7-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2022-04-21 - Refer to Interim Study, Motion Adopted, Voice Vote; 04/21/2022; Senate Journal 9 [HB1434 Detail]

Download: New_Hampshire-2022-HB1434-Amended.html

HB 1434-FN - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE

16Mar2022... 0992h

2022 SESSION

22-2313

10/04

HOUSE BILL 1434-FN

AN ACT relative to the availability of school curriculum materials.

SPONSORS: Rep. Prudhomme-O'Brien, Rock. 6; Rep. Love, Rock. 6; Rep. Cordelli, Carr. 4; Rep. Moffett, Merr. 9; Sen. Ward, Dist 8; Sen. Ricciardi, Dist 9; Sen. Giuda, Dist 2

COMMITTEE: Education

-----------------------------------------------------------------

ANALYSIS

This bill requires that curriculum course materials taught to pupils in public schools and public academies be available to the public.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

16Mar2022... 0992h 22-2313

10/04

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Two

AN ACT relative to the availability of school curriculum materials.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 School Boards; Duty of the State Board of Education; Curriculum Course Material. Amend RSA 186:11, IX-c to read as follows:

IX-c. Require School Districts to Adopt a Policy Allowing an Exception to Specific Course Material Based on a Parent's or Legal Guardian's Determination that the Material is Objectionable. Such policy shall include a provision requiring the parent or legal guardian to notify the school principal or designee in writing of the specific material to which they object and a provision requiring an alternative agreed upon by the school district and the parent, at the parent's expense, sufficient to enable the child to meet state requirements for education in the particular subject area. The policy shall also require the school district or classroom teacher to provide parents and legal guardians not less than 2 weeks advance notice of curriculum course material used for instruction of human sexuality or human sexual education. The policy shall address the method of delivering notification to a parent or legal guardian. To the extent practicable, [a school district shall make curriculum course materials available to parents or legal guardians for review upon request] and upon request from a parent, legal guardian, or resident of the public school district to review curriculum course material used to support student learning in a grade level, course, or program at a school operated and governed in its district, the district shall make available the requested curriculum course material within 10 business days. The name of the parent or legal guardian and any specific reasons disclosed to school officials for the objection to the material shall not be public information and shall be excluded from access under RSA 91-A.

2 New Paragraph; Chartered Public Schools; Curriculum Course Materials. Amend RSA 194-B:5 by inserting after paragraph V the following new paragraph:

V-a. Upon request from a parent, legal guardian, or resident of a sending school district to review curriculum course material used to support student learning in a grade level, course, or program at a chartered public school, the board of trustees of the chartered public school shall make available the requested curriculum course material within 10 business days.

3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

LBA

22-2313

Redraft 11/12/21

HB 1434-FN- FISCAL NOTE

AS INTRODUCED

AN ACT relative to the availability of school curriculum materials.

FISCAL IMPACT: [ ] State [ ] County [ X ] Local [ ] None


	Estimated Increase / (Decrease)
LOCAL:	FY 2022	FY 2023	FY 2024	FY 2025
Revenue	$0	$0	$0	$0
Expenditures	$0	Indeterminable	Indeterminable	Indeterminable

METHODOLOGY:

This bill would require the school boards ensure that a comprehensive list of all course materials, which are part of the basic curriculum for the public schools and public academies within the school district, be made available to the public. As part of that requirement, a school administrative unit (SAU) would have to post the curriculum materials on their website and provide access to physical copies, which would be available at the SAU location. Additionally, this bill would require the board of trustees of a chartered public school to provide a comprehensive list of all curriculum course materials as well as a physical copy of all such materials to the SAU of the host schools district for said chartered public school, which would also have to made available to the public. Costs associated with meeting these requirements (staff time, copies, online/website maintenance), if any, will vary across all school districts and therefore this bill’s impact on local expenditures is indeterminable in FY 2023 and each year thereafter.

AGENCIES CONTACTED:

Department of Education