HB 173-SCHOOL CLIMATE & CONNECTEDNESS  9:27:13 AM CO-CHAIR STORY announced that the final order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 173, "An Act relating to state education policy; relating to school climate and connectedness; establishing the School Climate and School Connectedness Improvement Committee; and providing for an effective date." 9:28:07 AM The committee took an at-ease from 9:28 a.m. to 9:29 a.m. 9:29:00 AM REPRESENTATIVE GERAN TARR, Alaska State Legislature, as prime sponsor, introduced HB 173. 9:30:30 AM The committee took an at-ease from 9:30 a.m. to 9:31 a.m. 9:31:15 AM REPRESENTATIVE TARR paraphrased the sponsor statement for HB 173, which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: Alaska's approach to education must be updated to reflect our current understanding of the impact of early childhood adversity, toxic stress, childhood trauma, and cultural competency on children's cognitive development. The School Climate and School Connectedness Improvement Act would compel the school districts in our state to submit plans for improving their schools' climate and connectedness for their students, thereby shifting Alaska's focus away from punitive discipline and towards trauma-engaged, culturally responsive, and restorative teaching practices. This act would not simply place this requirement on districts to navigate alone; it would create a multidisciplinary, diverse statewide School Climate and School Connectedness Committee, which would support and inform districts during the planning process. This idea was not created from whole cloth this policy recommendation has been the result of over 5 years of collaboration between hundreds of educators from Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Homer, Palmer, Sitka, Kenai, Valdez, Chevak, Wasilla, Bethel, Dillingham, St. Paul, and Utqiagvik Additionally, practitioners and educators across the globe have denounced zero-tolerance disciplinary practices such as out-of-school suspensions and expulsions, as removing students from the classroom simply makes it harder for those students to ever catch up academically to their peers. Research has shown that these policies lead to the "school to prison pipeline," where students that have been suspended or expelled are more likely to end up in the juvenile justice system. The recommended approach to classroom conflict is a set of strategies known as "restorative practices," which the Schott Foundation defines as, "processes that proactively build healthy relationships and a sense of community to prevent and address conflict and wrongdoing." In other words, when students have a conflict, rather than ejecting students from the classroom, restorative practitioners would seek to mend the relationships that were harmed. In fact, the intent of HB 173 would assist the Department of Education and Early Development in achieving the goals listed in its 2025 strategic plan, which specifically states creating a "sustainable and positive school climates that are safe, supportive, and engaging for all students, staff, and communities" as one of its major goals. In summation, the School Climate and School Connectedness Improvement Act would be a concerted effort to have our educators intentionally re-examine their existing educational practices and update them to include our modern understanding of childhood development and learning. Our children are our most precious resource, and we need to make sure that our schools are supportive environments where they can thrive, and which are led by Alaskans, for Alaskans. REPRESENTATIVE TARR said work on Erin's Law and Bree's Law taught her that educators are being relied upon more than ever, combined with downward pressure on the budget. 9:35:15 AM REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND asked for information on Erin's Law and Bree's Law. REPRESENTATIVE TARR replied that Erin's Law is a child sexual abuse prevention law, and Bree's Law is a "teen dating violence prevention" law. She said evidence shows that prevention-based policies yield the greatest results. She said efforts towards implementing a statewide policy in the public education system taught her that unfunded mandates are not feasible, while engagement from stakeholders shows more promise. She said federal funding has been linked to the existence of zero- tolerance policies for guns on campus for the past 20 years, and rates of suspension and expulsion has increased during that time; students were suspended or expelled for infractions beyond their control, and thus excluded from the learning environment. She said the "restorative model" relies on a balance between accountability and support to change classroom dynamics. REPRESENTATIVE TARR shared an example of two fifth-grade boys who were fighting on the playground became friends after attending a seminar in which they discussed their similarities and differences. She said HB 173 would create a committee to assist school districts in adopting restorative teaching practices. 9:41:25 AM DAVID SONG, Staff, Representative Geran Tarr, Alaska State Legislature, on behalf of Representative Tarr, prime sponsor, presented the sectional analysis of HB 173, which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: Section 1: States the bill may be known as the School Climate and School Connectedness Improvement Act. Section 2: Amends AS 14.03.015, with a new subsection, AS 14.03.015 (b). This subsection states that the state's education policy will consider principles of early childhood and youth brain development, in addition to considering concepts such as early adversity, toxic stress, childhood trauma, and the promotion of resilience when possible. Section 3: Creates an advisory School Climate and School Connectedness Improvement Committee under the Department of Education and Early Development. This committee will consist of 2 current and 2 retired school superintendents, 3 current and 3 retired K-12 teachers, 4 parents of K-12 students, 1 representative from the Department of Health and Social Services, 2 school social workers, and 2 school counselors. These members will be appointed by the governor and will require representation across rural and non-rural communities, as well as representation across grade levels. The committee will also be able to establish sub-committees on various topics, including English language learners, special education, student athletes, vocational education, and any other topics as deemed necessary by the committee. Section 4: Requires school districts to develop school climate and school connectedness improvement plans with support from the statewide School Climate and School Connectedness Improvement Committee. This section also provides guidance for concepts that can be included in the districts' school climate and school connectedness plans. Section 5: Requires that school districts submit their school climate and school connectedness improvement plans to the commissioner of education and early development, the senate secretary, and the chief clerk of the house of representatives on or before January 1, 2023. Section 6: Repeals sections 1, 3, 4, and 5 on July 1, 2023. Section 7: Establishes the effective date as July 1, 2021. 9:45:12 AM NORM WOOTEN, Director of Advocacy, Association of Alaska School Boards (AASB), testified in support of HB 173. He said AASB has four separate resolutions supporting the goals contained within HB 173: promoting success for social and emotional learning and positive youth development and support; safe, caring, and connected schools; student connectedness; and supporting the adoption of trauma-informed and culturally relevant practices. Utilizing grants from the U.S. Department of Education, AASB works with school districts across Alaska to provide support for students' physical and emotional needs, he said, as students aren't able to leave their problems at home. He said a student experiencing trauma and distress outside the school setting isn't able to effectively learn; however, he clarified, it is not the intent of AASB to advocate supplanting parental responsibility, but rather to work with parents and organizations to supplement classroom support. He said that as school districts across Alaska are already informally doing the work described in the proposed legislation, he expressed that it would not be onerous to formalize the school climate and connectedness plans. 9:48:46 AM REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND asked about the composition of AASB's delegate assembly. MR. WOOTEN replied yes, school board members from across Alaska meet in a delegate assembly and decide on resolutions. 9:49:47 AM REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked how HB 173 would integrate with other bills being considered by the House Education Standing Committee. MR. WOOTEN responded that HB 173 would strengthen the other pieces of proposed legislation. REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked Mr. Wooten whether he thinks some bills should be combined. MR. WOOTEN said that the committee could consider doing so, but he declined to comment on the suggestion. REPRESENTATIVE PRAX noted Mr. Wooten's comment that school districts are already informally implementing the practices proposed under HB 173, and he asked why it makes sense to require something that's already being informally practiced. He said, "There's always a danger when you dictate something from the top down." MR. WOOTEN expressed that many of the ideas in the proposed legislation have merit, including the creation of the advisory committee, and that it's important that such practices don't "drop off of the radar" as other issues arise. He said he has no issues with embedding connectedness within state statute, as its impetus is here to stay, particularly in light of the lack of civility in the country. 9:52:33 AM TOM KLAAMEYER, President, National Education Association - Alaska Chapter, expressed that Alaska students are most unique and diverse in country, with students in Anchorage alone coming from homes speaking over 100 different languages. An educator's challenge is to provide the best education with the resources available, he said, and must deal with socioeconomic disparity and racial challenges inherent in the public school system. Students who experience trauma have difficulty maximizing learning, he said, and Alaska has high rates of students who experience homelessness, hunger, maltreatment, and poverty. He said 36 percent of children ages 0-8 live in poverty, one-third of Alaska's children report maltreatment before the age of 8, and children in Alaska are more likely than their peers nationally to die before the age of 8, with children of color being disproportionately impacted compared to white children. Given the statistics, he said, educators must update education policy to reflect knowledge on early childhood and brain development, and provide the appropriate academic, behavioral, and emotional support. He suggested that the development of an advisory committee would help disseminate best practices and provide resources so students who most need assistance could receive it. He expressed concern that reporting requirements would be to the legislature instead of to the Department of Education and Early Development. He suggested that instead of meting out punishments, students would benefit from improving relationships, school environments, and providing strong partnerships between schools and communities. 10:00:04 AM REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND clarified that reporting would be to the legislature and to the DEED commissioner. [HB 173 was held over.]