Advocacy and Legislation

2019 LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

View the PTA Council January 2019 Legislative Update:

PTA Council Legislative Update 2020.01.29

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2018 LEGISLATIVE SESSION; UPDATE & RESOURCES

Support: HB1110 Public Schools – Health and Safety Guidelines and Procedures – Digital Devices

HB1110 Screen Safety Support Letter

Support: HB315 State Department of Education – Breakfast and Lunch Programs – Funding (Maryland Cares for Kids Act), which will expand access to free school meals by eliminating the Reduced Price Meals category so that students that currently qualify for reduced price meals would be eligible for free school meals.

BCPTA Legislative Update and Advocacy Resources

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2017 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

115th Congress – NPTA Endorsements

Rights and Services for Undocumented Children Position Statement

FAQs Immigrant Students and Families at School

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2016 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

Baltimore County PTA Council Board of Directors Motions in Support of Legislation, March 2016

The board moved to submit written testimony on behalf of the Council Board of Directors on House Bill 141, Education Accountability Program – Limits on Testing, requiring the State Board of Education to limit mandated testing for each grade to 2% of the specified minimum required annual instructional hours, and prohibiting time devoted to teacher-selected testing, reviews, and assessments from being counted toward the specified testing time limits.

The board moved to submit written testimony with concerns on the financial impact and relevancy of county-specific training for all students on behalf of the Council Board of Directors in support of HB142, Education – Health and Safety – Emotional Health Awareness Programs, requiring local school systems to implement a program of emotional health awareness and a program to provide student athletes and coaches with tools and materials, and to collaborate with organizations with expertise in emotional health or transforming the culture of youth sports.

Baltimore County PTA Council Legislative Update, February 2016

Maryland General Assembly 2016, Baltimore County Bills:

SB0163:  Baltimore County – Public High Schools – Adoption of School Schedule

HB0055:  Baltimore County – Education – WhyTry Program

HB0569:  Baltimore County Board of Education – Appointments by Governor – Advice and Consent of the Senate

National PTA Public Policy Office Election Season Guides

Please note that the IRS monitors non-profit activities, especially during election seasons. So make sure you review and share these resources before not after they consider taking action.  Below is an excerpt from one of the attached documents as an FYI:

A 501(c)(3) organization may NOT conduct partisan activities to support or oppose any candidate for public office, including:

  • Endorsing a candidate.
  • Making a campaign contribution to, or an expenditure for, a candidate.
  • Rating candidates on who is most favorable to your issue(s).
  • Letting candidates use the organization’s facilities or resources, unless those resources are made equally available to all candidates at their fair market value.

Much more is available via these links:

CANDIDATE APPEARANCES

HOSTING A CANDIDATE FORUM

NON PROFITS AND BALLOT MEASURES

NON PROFIT VOTE GUIDE

Join the PTA Takes Action Network Today

Sign up for PTA Takes Action Network to stay informed on the latest happenings on Capitol Hill and to learn more about legislative issues affecting families, schools, and communities. By joining the PTA Takes Action Network you will receive:

  • PTA’s monthly federal policy e-newsletter and;
  • Action alerts that provide you the opportunity to weigh in on key federal policy issues with your Members of Congress.

Sign-up today and join the millions of child advocates that support and speak up for children. http://www.pta.org/takesaction

Congress Approves Every Student Succeeds Act

In a bipartisan vote, the U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly to approve the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which would reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act/No Child Left Behind (ESEA/NCLB). This bipartisan legislation brings comprehensive changes to education for every child, making this the most sweeping education… Read full article

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA/S. 1177)

2016 Maryland PTA Legislative Agenda

http://www.mdpta.org/documents/2016lEGaGENDAWCS.pdf

The 2016 Maryland PTA Legislative Agenda outlines many of Maryland PTA’s policy priorities designed to ensure Maryland maintains a strong public education system. Our leaders provide expertise on PTA legislative priorities in many areas including Family Engagement, Special Education, STEM Education, ESSA, Child Health and Nutrition and Juvenile Justice, among other topics.

As part of the 2016 Maryland PTA State Legislative focus, we are currently tracking over 90 House and Senate bills that relate to education, families, and children. Here are a few examples:

  1. HB 141/ SB 407Education Accountability Program – Limits on Testing– Requiring the State Board of Education to adopt regulations limiting the amount of time in the aggregate that may be devoted to federal, State, and locally mandated tests for each grade to 2% of the specified minimum required annual instructional hours; and prohibiting time devoted to teacher–selected classroom quizzes and exams, portfolio reviews, or performance assessments from being counted toward the specified testing time limits.
  2. HB 29Participants in Youth Sports Programs – Concussions – Penalties for Coaches– This bill requires a local board of education, on the recommendation of a local superintendent, to suspend a coach who violates specified provisions relating to the removal from play of a student who is suspected of sustaining a concussion or other head injury in a practice or game and the return to play of the student. Likewise, a youth sports program must suspend a coach for violating similar provisions regarding concussions. The local board of education must follow a specified process prior to suspending a coach, which includes an opportunity for a hearing and appeal of a decision to the State Board of Education.
  3. HB 109Food Transparency-Requiring local school systems to include specified information relating to items sold a la carte on monthly dining menus; requiring a specified monthly menu to include specified information under specified circumstances; and requiring local school systems to create an individual monthly a la carte menu for each school under specified circumstances.
  4. HB 85Children with Disabilities- Support Services- Parental Notification– Requiring specified school personnel to provide the parents of a child with a disability written information that the parents may use to contact early intervention and special education family support services staff members and a brief description of the available services; requiring specified school personnel to provide a translator at a meeting for parents who require information to be translated into the parents’ native language; requiring a local school system to publish specified contact information on its Web site.