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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, First Regular Session
AMENDED
teacher training; parental notification; requirements
Purpose
Requires, rather than allows, a school district governing board (governing board) to provide prescribed information in electronic form and requires a governing board and charter school governing body (governing body) to adopt procedures for parental notification of and access to teacher and administrator training as outlined.
Background
A parent of a student in a public educational institution has the right to review learning materials and activities in advance and may withdraw the student from a class or program using learning material, or from an activity, to which the parent objects on the basis that it is harmful and request an alternative assignment. A charter school may require parents, as a condition of student enrollment, to waive the right to object to learning materials or activities if the school provides a complete list of books and materials before the student enrolls (A.R.S. § 15-113).
A governing board must adopt a parental involvement policy that includes procedures by which parents may: 1) learn about their child's course of study, review learning materials and withdraw their child from an activity, class or program; 2) access the school's library collection; and 3) learn about parental rights and responsibilities. A school principal or school district superintendent must provide information that a parent requests in accordance with the parental involvement policy within 10 business days or provide a written reasoning for denying the information request. A governing board may adopt a policy to provide the information to parents in an electronic form (A.R.S. § 15-102).
To renew a teaching certificate, a teacher must
complete 15 hours of continuing education credits, for each year of the
certificate term, that relate to educator standards or apply towards an
additional certificate or endorsement. State Board of Education rules outline
professional development activities that may be counted toward continuing
education credits, including:
1) courses from an accredited institution; 2) professional activities such as
conferences and workshops; 3) district-sponsored or school-sponsored
in-services or activities designed for professional development; 4) internships
in business settings; 5) educational research; 6) serving in a leadership role
of a professional education organization relating to teaching or public
education; and 7) serving on a visitation team for a school accreditation
agency (A.A.C. R7-2-619).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Requires, rather than allows, a governing board to adopt a policy to provide parents information outlined in the parental involvement policy in an electronic form.
2. Requires the governing board of a school district that requires, endorses, recommends, encourages, funds, facilitates or provides teacher or administrator training to include, in their parental involvement policy, procedures for:
a) notifying parents of the teacher or administrator training; and
b) giving parents access to any printed or digital materials that are used for the training.
3. Requires the governing body of a charter school that requires, endorses, recommends, encourages, funds, facilitates or provides teacher or administrator training to adopt a policy that prescribes procedures for:
a) notifying parents of the teacher or administrator training; and
b) giving parents access to any printed or digital materials that are used for the training.
4. Requires a charter school to provide parents information outlined in the governing body's teacher training notification and access policy in an electronic form.
6. Defines training for the purposes of a governing body's teacher training notification and access policy, as a class, seminar, webinar, in-person instruction or printed or digital material that addresses curricula, teaching methods, classroom strategies, student discipline, learning environment or social and emotional learning, including training related to racial, sexual, gender identity, political or social duties.
8. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by Committee
· Applies the teacher and administrator training parental notification and access requirements to a charter school governing body and defines training for the purposes of a governing body's policy.
House Action Senate Action
ED 2/14/23 DP 6-4-0-0 ED 3/22/23 DPA 4-3-0
3rd Read 3/1/23 31-28-1
Prepared by Senate Research
March 20, 2023
LB/MH/slp