HB 256: "An Act repealing provisions relating to the power and duties of the Department of Education and Early Development to intervene in a school district to improve instructional practices."
00 HOUSE BILL NO. 256 01 "An Act repealing provisions relating to the power and duties of the Department of 02 Education and Early Development to intervene in a school district to improve 03 instructional practices." 04 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 05 * Section 1. AS 14.07.020(a) is amended to read: 06 (a) The department shall 07 (1) exercise general supervision over the public schools of the state 08 except the University of Alaska; 09 (2) study the conditions and needs of the public schools of the state, 10 adopt or recommend plans, administer and evaluate grants to improve school 11 performance awarded under AS 14.03.125, and adopt regulations for the improvement 12 of the public schools; 13 (3) provide advisory and consultative services to all public school 14 governing bodies and personnel;
01 (4) prescribe by regulation a minimum course of study for the public 02 schools; the regulations must provide that, if a course in American Sign Language is 03 given, the course shall be given credit as a course in a foreign language; 04 (5) establish, in coordination with the Department of Health and Social 05 Services, a program for the continuing education of children who are held in detention 06 facilities in the state during the period of detention; 07 (6) accredit those public schools that meet accreditation standards 08 prescribed by regulation by the department; these regulations shall be adopted by the 09 department and presented to the legislature during the first 10 days of any regular 10 session, and become effective 45 days after presentation or at the end of the session, 11 whichever is earlier, unless disapproved by a resolution concurred in by a majority of 12 the members of each house; 13 (7) prescribe by regulation, after consultation with the state fire 14 marshal and the state sanitarian, standards that will ensure [ASSURE] healthful and 15 safe conditions in the public and private schools of the state, including a requirement 16 of physical examinations and immunizations in pre-elementary schools; the standards 17 for private schools may not be more stringent than those for public schools; 18 (8) exercise general supervision over pre-elementary schools that 19 receive direct state or federal funding; 20 (9) exercise general supervision over elementary and secondary 21 correspondence study programs offered by municipal school districts or regional 22 educational attendance areas; the department may also offer and make available to any 23 Alaskan through a centralized office a correspondence study program; 24 (10) accredit private schools that request accreditation and that meet 25 accreditation standards prescribed by regulation by the department; nothing in this 26 paragraph authorizes the department to require religious or other private schools to be 27 licensed; 28 (11) review plans for construction of new public elementary and 29 secondary schools and for additions to and major rehabilitation of existing public 30 elementary and secondary schools and, in accordance with regulations adopted by the 31 department, determine and approve the extent of eligibility for state aid of a school
01 construction or major maintenance project; for the purposes of this paragraph, "plans" 02 include educational specifications, schematic designs, projected energy consumption 03 and costs, and final contract documents; 04 (12) provide educational opportunities in the areas of vocational 05 education and training, and basic education to individuals over 16 years of age who 06 are no longer attending school; 07 (13) administer the grants awarded under AS 14.11; 08 (14) establish, in coordination with the Department of Public Safety, a 09 school bus driver training course; 10 (15) require the reporting of information relating to school disciplinary 11 and safety programs under AS 14.33.120 and of incidents of disruptive or violent 12 behavior; 13 (16) [ESTABLISH BY REGULATION CRITERIA, BASED ON 14 LOW STUDENT PERFORMANCE, UNDER WHICH THE DEPARTMENT MAY 15 INTERVENE IN A SCHOOL DISTRICT TO IMPROVE INSTRUCTIONAL 16 PRACTICES, AS DESCRIBED IN AS 14.07.030(14) OR (15); THE 17 REGULATIONS MUST INCLUDE 18 (A) A NOTICE PROVISION THAT ALERTS THE 19 DISTRICT TO THE DEFICIENCIES AND THE INSTRUCTIONAL 20 PRACTICE CHANGES PROPOSED BY THE DEPARTMENT; 21 (B) AN END DATE FOR DEPARTMENTAL 22 INTERVENTION, AS DESCRIBED IN AS 14.07.030(14)(A) AND (B) AND 23 (15), AFTER THE DISTRICT DEMONSTRATES THREE CONSECUTIVE 24 YEARS OF IMPROVEMENT CONSISTING OF NOT LESS THAN TWO 25 PERCENT INCREASES IN STUDENT PROFICIENCY ON STANDARDS- 26 BASED ASSESSMENTS IN MATHEMATICS, READING, AND WRITING 27 AS PROVIDED IN AS 14.03.123(f)(2)(A); AND 28 (C) A PROCESS FOR DISTRICTS TO PETITION THE 29 DEPARTMENT FOR CONTINUING OR DISCONTINUING THE 30 DEPARTMENT'S INTERVENTION; 31 (17) NOTIFY THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES HAVING
01 JURISDICTION OVER EDUCATION BEFORE INTERVENING IN A SCHOOL 02 DISTRICT UNDER AS 14.07.030(14) OR REDIRECTING PUBLIC SCHOOL 03 FUNDING UNDER AS 14.07.030(15); 04 (18)] assist the Department of Natural Resources in developing and 05 implementing the farm-to-school program established under AS 03.20.100. 06 * Sec. 2. AS 14.07.030(14), 14.07.030(15), and 14.07.32 are repealed.