[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_25":26},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_27":28,"_29":30},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[31,75,87],{"_32":33,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":39,"_40":41,"_42":43,"_44":45,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6652937,"mediaKeyId","2487050-25a47bd328ff038bb55af42a857e7ab7","parentId",2487050,"title","Senate Education Committee Hears SB 96 on ‘Honesty and Transparency in Education Act’; Advocates Say Language Could Endanger Students","audioSeconds",4068,"startMs",146000,"endMs",4214000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2487050-25a47bd328ff038bb55af42a857e7ab7&start=146&end=4214","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2487050-25a47bd328ff038bb55af42a857e7ab7/thumbnail_146000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6652937/New-Hampshire/Senate-Education-Committee-Hears-SB-96-on-Honesty-and-Transparency-in-Education-Act-Advocates-Say-Language-Could-Endanger-Students","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6652937-50421cff97ba492e3089fc5e329f49ec/orig.mp4?Expires=1769778936&Signature=B7KUUKUQiRdD-d0oQcIwMfdqN1RWz5w~ve8kJhgf5gCMdR8SZCGJMSDM5rv0-YjNFgTA8p88DiXEDZ3F1vJhOWjWdOT5Umds6UNyz2aRPFj4cffqKuCiIVg2gjBdU8UgQUGTkk7Jl5u1adv652LSUXnX6j0-k4o4Bv7VDBgL7HC-oTf36gAT0nbkOfoSBbTLV17BV9MKLDlYOv3ViQqikDPdJYR5FgrBDwEkDw~pdfgSJKAOQ9~gQnjvu~lA0u5xst6c249i71Du6q9EK4HBaHOGLNdVsWd4KR~HdBFrTNZ79j8NNb3EjOuS8oQQPH2cd8N5vsoUea0csOKdJKeIcQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","New Hampshire Legislature","date","2025-03-04T17:53:37.437Z","article","Sen. Tim Lang, sponsor: Sen. Tim Lang introduced SB 96, the Honesty and Transparency in Education Act, telling the Senate Education Committee the bill \"is really clear and really simple\" and is intended to \"establish a default statewide standard for all school districts in the state on how they respond to parents.\" Lang said the one-page bill would set timelines for written parental requests and allow withholding of information only where disclosure would \"create or increase the risk to a child,\" in which case staff would be required to file a report with the Department of Health and Human Services.

Why it matters: Witnesses from mental-health and LGBTQ organizations, teachers' unions and parents said the bill’s undefined standard—requiring answers that are \"completely and honestly\" given—could chill educator–student relationships and put certain students at risk. Testimony cited existing mandatory-reporting law and federal rules on parental consent for mental-health services as points of tension with the proposed language.

Supporters' framing: Anne Marie Banfield, a parental-rights advocate, described the bill as a response to school policies she said had required educators to withhold information from parents. \"Teachers, I think, in general, are parents. And they expect honesty, and they expect to not have information withheld from them,\" Banfield said. Sen. Lang told the committee the bill reemphasizes the obligation of educators who are mandated reporters: \"If a teacher thinks a child is at risk whether they tell a parent or not, the child is still at risk and the teacher should report it.\"

Concerns raised in testimony: Multiple witnesses urged the committee to vote ITL (inexpedient to legislate). Heidi Carrington Heath, executive director of New Hampshire Outright, said the bill could be \"construed as a mandate to out students to their parents before they are ready\" and would put LGBTQ youth \"already vulnerable\" at risk. Holly Stevens, director of public policy for NAMI New Hampshire, said the phrase \"completely and honestly\" could have a chilling effect on trusted conversations between students and educators and might lead staff to refuse conversations rather than risk liability. \"If a teacher fails to recall or document something,\" Stevens said, \"then they could be on the hook and they could lose their license.\"

Legal and practical questions: Michael Haley, an attorney with GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, said the legal phrasing—\"completely and honestly\"—works in some objective legal contexts but is not workable in classrooms where teachers encounter rumors and subjective reports. NEA New Hampshire representative Brian Hawkins said the bill could create a parallel process to local school policy and employment agreements, and asked who would be the arbiter of what constitutes \"material information.\" Several speakers, including Sarah Terrell (parent) and Deborah Howes (American Federation of Teachers president), said the language is vague and could prompt excessive record-keeping or surveillance in schools.

Mandated reporting and state intake: Sarah Terrell, a former CPSW for DCYF, noted that language in the bill referencing calls to central intake would not change the statutory standard for screening in reports under RSA 169-C: \"central intake cannot screen in a concern of something that might happen. They can only screen in a concern of something that has happened,\" she testified.

Scale and statistics cited: NAMI New Hampshire told the committee that \"15,000 youth ages 12 to 17 have depression\" in the state, and that \"1 in 5 youth age 6 to 17 experience a mental illness each year,\" testimony used to underscore potential harms from chilling trusted student–staff relationships.

Process: The item was heard in public testimony and no committee vote was recorded during the hearing. Multiple organizations formally asked the committee to find SB 96 inexpedient to legislate. The public hearing concluded with the chair closing testimony on SB 96.

Next steps: The bill remains in committee. Committee members asked clarifying questions of witnesses about enforcement mechanics, the interplay with existing reporting statutes and the scope of a required response to written parental requests.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Education (03/04/2025)","oneSentenceSummary","Sen. Tim Lang introduced SB 96, the Honesty and Transparency in Education Act, telling the Senate Education Committee it would set a statewide standard for how school staff respond to written parental requests and requiring reporting when information is withheld; advocates from mental-health and LGBTQ organizations urged the committee to vote ITL, saying the bill’s phrasing—\"completely and honestly\"—is vague and could put vulnerable students at risk.","taxTitle","Judiciary, Senate , Committees\t, Legislative, New Hampshire","taxId",29511,"location","New Hampshire","headline","","shortSummary",{"_32":76,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":77,"_40":78,"_42":79,"_44":80,"_46":81,"_48":82,"_50":83,"_52":84,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":85,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":86,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6652927,"Heated Testimony on SB 211, Bill to Restrict Female Sports to Biological Females; Legal Challenges and Medical and Community Voices Weigh In",1085,5328000,6413000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2487050-25a47bd328ff038bb55af42a857e7ab7&start=5328&end=6413","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2487050-25a47bd328ff038bb55af42a857e7ab7/thumbnail_5328000.jpg","/articles/6652927/New-Hampshire/Heated-Testimony-on-SB-211-Bill-to-Restrict-Female-Sports-to-Biological-Females-Legal-Challenges-and-Medical-and-Community-Voices-Weigh-In","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6652927-482dbf91b7e6303dc5e5b0a286e088c9/orig.mp4?Expires=1769778936&Signature=PMb-2r~VtqPhVJARxcHRCkxQmJJtlF8jCTnWiHJzoWTSmY43Ho~Zy4DRnez~Iv-FmYWvqykzrXYGwikCTOOo0Xra-EuPGTrajnYtI1YNS3pHUCBlqZFeHUZTJwUX5EcwXq2O2VoTb9sMR6HVGt4YOZgHlU5gm0fUZks3HsS3a1ERkMHfEOFaWSk9NeFA0QOK2UGtgnjRBsolQhcFQ76V5GEV6ezEYxJHfLiN4pxgrAO2g6QoB2N9ji~4MXwaFmrFge5uMKii1vGvIUk1sVpZ63iVME18mzDyANE2~LrhtMDDXC7exsnDd9C-58iWd7OWa0S0X3glY5IxRbAFqBsAVA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Sponsor’s description: Sen. Kevin Avard (SB 211) told the Senate Education Committee the bill would \"require school sports teams to be expressly designated as male, female, or coed\" and would prohibit \"biological male students from participating in female-designated sports or entering female locker rooms,\" while allowing coed teams where districts choose that path. Avard said the measure is intended to protect privacy and safety and to preserve girls’ athletic opportunities.

Opposition and legal concerns: Michael Haley, an attorney with GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, testified the bill largely mirrors legislation already enjoined in federal court and said a similar provision was found to violate Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause; he warned the bill would likely be litigated quickly if enacted. Haley urged lawmakers to consider narrowly tailored alternatives and noted divergent federal-court rulings across circuits.

Community testimony—both sides: Supporters, including parental-rights advocates who testified about girls complaining to administrators and in some cases leaving public schools, said girls’ privacy and competitive fairness suffer when districts allow biological males to play on female teams. Anne Marie Banfield and others recounted parents’ frustrations in the Kearsarge district.

Opponents and medical witnesses: Representatives from 603 Equality and parents described inclusive local responses and cautioned that prohibitions would stigmatize transgender and intersex students. Pasha (Ash) Roberts, who identified as intersex and spoke from experience, told the committee \"biology is complex\" and warned that defining sport eligibility by birth-certificate sex is vulnerable to medical facts and intersex variation. A medical witness who identified as transgender and said she has been on cross-sex hormones for decades testified that many transgender girls have little or no circulating testosterone and that competitive advantage declines after hormone suppression.

Policy and practical questions: Senators asked whether there are narrowly tailored approaches—height or weight caps, time on hormone suppression, or sport-specific rules—that would address safety and fairness without an absolute ban. Testimony cited international sporting bodies and academic reviews suggesting that hormone-suppression policies can reduce measurable advantage in some events; other speakers urged caution and raised legal and enforcement questions.

Litigation and enforcement: The committee heard that a nearly identical statute is subject to litigation and that courts have reached differing conclusions in other jurisdictions. Michael Haley said the prior ruling found the prior bill \"violates Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution,\" and predicted similar legal challenges. He said a narrowly drawn policy (for example, hormone-level requirements) might avoid constitutional infirmities if tailored to specific safety concerns.

Process: The bill was introduced and received extended public testimony; no committee vote was recorded at the hearing.","Sen. Kevin Avard introduced SB 211 to require school sports be designated male, female or coed and to bar biological males from female teams; the hearing drew extensive testimony about safety, privacy, competitive fairness, intersex biology and potential constitutional challenges.",{"_32":88,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":89,"_40":90,"_42":91,"_44":92,"_46":93,"_48":94,"_50":95,"_52":96,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":97,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":98,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6652930,"Senate Education Committee Advances Proposal for State Study of School Bullying (SB 210)",1027,4260000,5287000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2487050-25a47bd328ff038bb55af42a857e7ab7&start=4260&end=5287","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2487050-25a47bd328ff038bb55af42a857e7ab7/thumbnail_4260000.jpg","/articles/6652930/New-Hampshire/Senate-Education-Committee-Advances-Proposal-for-State-Study-of-School-Bullying-SB-210","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6652930-4c6960a2594a92825020c5a1a2629669/orig.mp4?Expires=1769778936&Signature=Kd6iOOKLKUy0QoFxje~tujrKGzLJgMluRQZPwpVMoy31jmSLDWs8eUbi1YREkZgDOmfhKymStqzXRsOYIqoKrOcpUb7vbfG7of-Z3W5rqcU9BZK2cwukDpjhApoBukOw8zUNyruV6~FFIwF3evww8VJrzuR-hSGXgVD9mPwxsNPcGaTdL4hX9HTYwhk2qGqImK~rE-9KoSse7raHsRq8BD-7KHiF2of1yhx~9S6UkeAMbfm8J3WGWCW~3wh1U2~EF7tzjkSYjS8xxnLtZurlQ~icS-QESqBgfyfZrLLrMcJVTMgKHdhnkkptHoNPRvIPm8zMzAKvZjJksypDKzBO0g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Sen. Donnan Fenton introduced SB 210, saying the bill would \"establish a study committee on school bullying\" to identify best practices for prevention, training and possible legislative fixes. Fenton cited recent events in Keene and argued the committee should examine whether schools have adequate resources, policies and training to protect students.

Why it matters: Supporters said a study would allow the state to gather evidence about why bullying persists in some districts and whether local policies or enforcement failures contribute. Anne Marie Banfield, a parental-rights advocate, told the committee she supported the concept and urged the panel to include parents who removed children from public schools because of bullying. Testimony emphasized that parents’ experiences and administrators’ handling of complaints should both be part of any review.

Restorative approaches: Several witnesses urged the study group to examine restorative-justice alternatives to punitive discipline. Lance Jacobs and other advocates described peer mediation, dialogue circles and reintegration practices after suspensions as tools that can reduce repeat misconduct and prevent students from entering the school-to-prison pipeline.

Administrative enforcement and remedies: Committee members and witnesses discussed whether existing laws and tools already provide remedies (including a private right of action added in prior reforms) but said some parents may lack resources to litigate. Senators asked whether a study could identify practical enforcement gaps and recommend steps the Department of Education or districts could take to ensure consistent application of anti-bullying policies.

Process: The bill was introduced and received public testimony. No committee vote was recorded at the hearing.","Sen. Donnan Fenton introduced SB 210 to create a study committee on school bullying after community concern about recent incidents. Supporters urged a broad, bipartisan effort to examine prevention, restorative practices and administrative accountability.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senate Education Committee Hears SB 96 on ‘Honesty and Transparency in Education Act’; Advocates Say Language Could Endanger Students

Heated Testimony on SB 211, Bill to Restrict Female Sports to Biological Females; Legal Challenges and Medical and Community Voices Weigh In

Senate Education Committee Advances Proposal for State Study of School Bullying (SB 210)