As a member of the Education committee, I wanted to share with you a few of the important bills we passed out of the committee this session. Keep in mind they still must receive a final floor debate and vote in the House of Representatives and the State Senate.
One bill that I introduced ensures that a free child abuse hotline number is posted in all schools. The bill requires each local or regional board of education to post the telephone number for the Department of Children and Families’ (DCF) CARELINE (the 24-hour hotline for reporting suspected child abuse or neglect) in a conspicuous location frequented by students. The posting must include the CARELINE website address and be in various languages most appropriate to students at each school.
Another bill builds upon the dyslexia legislation passed last year. This new proposal will require any individual seeking a remedial reading, remedial language arts, or reading consultant endorsement to complete a course that includes instruction on the detection of, and intervention for, students with dyslexia.
I also supported a bill to further protect our students’ data. The proposal not only focuses on restricting how third-party providers can use student data but also includes specific language requiring schools to inform parents and students about what data is being collected and how it will be used, to allow them to view the data and correct it if necessary, and to obtain parental consent for the collection and use of students’ personal data.
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