[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"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","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_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,"_75":74},"mediaId",6537603,"mediaKeyId","3515962-e4a18d1f62c5599f56419e953940afff","parentId",3515962,"title","Committee advances revised ban on teaching discrimination after court concerns; adds scienter and clarifying language","audioSeconds",2580,"startMs",11775000,"endMs",14355000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3515962-e4a18d1f62c5599f56419e953940afff&start=11775&end=14355","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3515962-e4a18d1f62c5599f56419e953940afff/thumbnail_11775000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6537603/New-Hampshire/Committee-advances-revised-ban-on-teaching-discrimination-after-court-concerns-adds-scienter-and-clarifying-language","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6537603-368b6608316f9f1bd5f05d8fa51d19a9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770448257&Signature=V7loM-1rAxub7rKfnTSJAqgg1NgSOcEeFbO4VX9eVNXUWuX5JmChIQzi3DsaqvtckX2QMwnLWSwYUIHHI9wokaYQvQvZqSNCgFyJnfCXgudtUXDzocGLUlL21mIhiRGe0y82dWzaqfOWHWnj3EVtMmfHH6vSkDsfFxslrph171d6A6UntqeGqyyv1AQxcUwKQJ0sriIb1Dn1JfVZOWR0FuOvdmEBhUdsKfB9v55-66NPtSDc1tqPDzFer-gPWeB0croxn8fE87tZMtLj~OAxsJjZdr06eFEAoddqUwCrnzOfZsLTtPt~zi0sr8g~yXYWytf1kvbo~D4SERCAMt~EiQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","New Hampshire Legislature","date","2025-05-27T00:00:00Z","article","The House Education Committee voted to advance an amended Senate Bill 100 that revises the state prohibition on teaching discrimination. The amendment seeks to respond to questions raised in recent litigation by adding a scienter (intent/knowledge) requirement, clarifying the statute’s scope, and explicitly preserving historical or academic discussion in classrooms.

Why it matters: The original statute prohibiting instruction that promotes discrimination had been the subject of litigation; a federal district judge flagged vagueness concerns. Committee sponsors and legal advocates said the changes increase clarity and reduce constitutional risk while preserving the state’s interest in preventing instruction that intentionally promotes or indoctrinates students to support discrimination.

Representative Glenn Cordelli, sponsor of the amendment, told the committee the draft seeks to “mitigate” the vagueness identified by a judge and to make clear that the prohibition applies to discriminatory instruction directed at any racial group. “A scienter requirement may mitigate a law’s vagueness,” Cordelli said in committee discussion, and the amendment inserts “intentionally and knowingly” language in several sections.

The amendment also adds a statement that “nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit discussion by educators or others as part of a larger course of academic instruction of the historical existence of ideas and subjects identified in this section,” language intended to ensure that teachers can discuss historical facts (for example, Jim Crow laws, historical discrimination or redlining) within academic courses.

Attorney Ian Hewitt, representing the advocacy group Cornerstone, testified in support of the drafted changes and described them as a package that addresses both implementation and litigation vulnerabilities. Hewitt told the committee the amendment is “the first amendment or bill that any legislative body in New Hampshire has seen this term that could even plausibly restore the efficacy of our prohibition on teaching discrimination” by addressing several issues the court noted.

Some members and witnesses emphasized that historical facts and evidence‑based discussion should remain teachable. Representative Murray and several others asked whether lessons about historical injustices (for example, the consequences of Jim Crow or redlining) would remain lawful classroom instruction; sponsors and supporters said the amendment explicitly preserves academic discussion and that a report or complaint would trigger an investigation but not automatically discipline without proof of an intentional or knowing violation.

Votes and next steps: The committee adopted the amendment (2332h) and then voted 9–8 to report SB 100 “ought to pass, as amended.” A minority report was noted in the record. Committee discussion suggested floor debate will focus on the precise scienter language, how investigations would be triggered, and how the statute will be applied in classrooms conducting legitimate historical instruction.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Education Policy and Administration (05/27/2025)","oneSentenceSummary","The committee reported SB 100 ‘ought to pass, as amended’ after adopting changes intended to address a federal court ruling. The amendment adds an intentional/knowing (scienter) requirement and clarifies that the prohibition covers any racial group; it also preserves classroom discussion of historical events.","taxTitle","Education, House of Representatives, Committees\t, Legislative, New Hampshire","taxId",17745,"location","New Hampshire","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6537608,"Committee approves study of SAU consolidation; removes repeal of Home Education Advisory Council",1363,7943000,9306000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3515962-e4a18d1f62c5599f56419e953940afff&start=7943&end=9306","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3515962-e4a18d1f62c5599f56419e953940afff/thumbnail_7943000.jpg","/articles/6537608/New-Hampshire/Committee-approves-study-of-SAU-consolidation-removes-repeal-of-Home-Education-Advisory-Council","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6537608-133d635aa3327ee89d9f7d69f052fe1f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770448257&Signature=PhQTj4rYitLVR0Mq7YM~igFTeO2Llwn8DcN5U25qidTRzFoRylgnnctFCnZ-UTST-ekNfkAdUSGQbiJ9evLUvu17vidxQ6gY3iKLpNr8X~Tnaqen8w844T4~IwwB1T5SYYgr-3cxy0EQbcT0-7woNFn42YEiAXGlB9wXGNxs5rW6CyaPgTOGuxof-nh-XdBT4N8J8YC~ZwUPMMnPEi-MT4q61dP7F~2Ndx~WcsYdOVpn9Tp0Kp8TRN9NlvExFv6gpHUliIKfpka4JsV2YygH-~A0~xfyGhKp5MsVhXqFs7OIfyOpNBKnMS1QokXDgb0JV4iKAebJskLg22ngSmlAeg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Education Committee approved a study committee to analyze reducing the number of school administrative units (SAUs), examine SAU and superintendent roles, and evaluate consolidation feasibility, but the controversial amendment to repeal the Home Education Advisory Council (HEAC) was withdrawn by the sponsor and not included in the motion advanced by the committee.

Why it matters: SAU consolidation and how oversight is organized affect district administration, bargaining, and local control across New Hampshire. The proposed study would examine several models, consider county‑level consolidation options, and evaluate staffing and oversight to inform potential future legislation.

Representative Glenn Cordelli, the sponsor, said he would not pursue the HEAC repeal amendment in this session and instead offered a narrower amendment (1900h) that preserved HEAC while expanding the study’s membership and scope. The revised language increases the House membership on the study committee and tasks it with examining the roles of school districts vs. SAUs, superintendent services, and the feasibility of consolidating SAUs by county (with special provisions for counties with populations over 100,000).

Several committee members asked procedural questions and sought clarification about the report timeline and outreach to stakeholders such as the New Hampshire Municipal Association and the School Boards Association. Representative Cordelli said the study committee would solicit stakeholder input and provide a report under the study timeline; the committee voted to approve the amended study language and to send the bill to the calendar for further consideration.

The committee also agreed to remove the HEAC repeal from the proposed amendment and to delay any changes to the Home Education Advisory Council until additional discussions occur over the summer and during the September filing period. Cordelli said he planned meetings with affected homeschool community members and department staff over the summer to seek common ground and evaluate next steps.

Votes and next steps: The committee voted to report SB 57 “ought to pass, as amended” on a roll call recorded as 15 yeas and 2 nays. The bill was placed on the regular calendar rather than consent; committee members said they expect continued stakeholder engagement and possible floor‑level changes to scope and wording.","The committee approved a study committee to analyze reducing the number of school administrative units and examine SAU staffing and oversight, but an earlier proposal to repeal the Home Education Advisory Council (HEAC) was not adopted in committee and will not move forward as written.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6537612,"Committee advances bullying‑prevention rewrite, adds reporting and timelines; some members seek broader scope",4002,3919000,7921000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3515962-e4a18d1f62c5599f56419e953940afff&start=3919&end=7921","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3515962-e4a18d1f62c5599f56419e953940afff/thumbnail_3919000.jpg","/articles/6537612/New-Hampshire/Committee-advances-bullyingprevention-rewrite-adds-reporting-and-timelines-some-members-seek-broader-scope","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6537612-f474f98126fefefa3a4258b4dfc4ae22/orig.mp4?Expires=1770448257&Signature=ax9u1~wvEDw88c3FHU2iwkZFYXizRVVpQ8~4BA5BMk51VGfvrFeM1FAxWmyYrKrl8yskT5rvk2PKPLENX91wkGCX2bmaFwfmxF4vS0qJXSwk3EmFsn~jjYlrqcnrC8LlvqexYhJuE8H8abH9-LpeskcV-GCKBsZA~PVwDCGVqWUM0t11BIw6LN9Vn6SvZvs6xGT3mNO-bVzSXIMbhA--vaHJD1BPxofsdGoIIIVncgO2JXO3E9gz3XNM4dMupizVkrR2-WoiwhmqdhtP6TW2cTrYDNP1VnMLFNxGFaKIc5aREmwHWt0F69y3UpIddpjAZ5ShuhrtqhvH8BglmTqahw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Education Committee voted to advance an amended version of Senate Bill 210, a comprehensive package that revises New Hampshire’s bullying statute, adds cyberbullying provisions from a related House bill, and imposes reporting deadlines and new educator‑conduct violations for intentional noncompliance.

The amendment combines prior work on cyberbullying (House Bill 108) with additional requirements for school handbooks, parent notification timelines (a five‑day limit on superintendent waivers to notify parents except for cross‑district incidents), additional reporting metrics to the Department of Education, and a new educator‑conduct provision that would allow investigations and potential discipline for \"intentional or knowing\" violations of reporting or timelines.

Why it matters: Committee sponsors and witnesses said the changes respond to repeated, sometimes harrowing, testimony about bullying and cyberbullying harms; opponents and some committee members sought more time to broaden coverage, to ensure timelines are practical, and to clarify whether private and parochial schools should be explicitly covered.

Representative Glenn Cordelli, prime sponsor, told the committee the amendment “adds the language from HB 108 about cyberbullying and the reporting mechanisms so that if passed, this bill includes both pieces of legislation.” He said the measure aims to “protect our children from physical, emotional and psychological violence by addressing the harm caused by bullying and cyberbullying.”

The amendment requires districts to include bullying procedures in the student handbook and to treat victims “with understanding and information as to their rights protections and support services that are available.” It also requires districts to report how they integrated bullying‑prevention into curriculum by Jan. 1, 2026, and includes a provision that would require the Department of Education to forward certain reports to the Attorney General’s Office.

Witnesses urged changes or cautions. Karen Rosenberg, Policy Director at the Disability Rights Center, said bullying interventions should be evidence‑based and aimed at preventing incidents (for example, social‑emotional learning and restorative approaches) and warned that removing wording in the bill that defined motivation could make it harder to protect students with disabilities who are often targeted. The New Hampshire School Boards Association said it worried about removing statutory definitions and making educator reporting failures a code‑of‑conduct violation that could be interpreted as punitive for inadvertent errors.

Several committee members asked whether the law should explicitly name private schools, parochial schools and students funded by Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs) so incidents that cross boundaries would be covered. The sponsor said the bill, as drafted, primarily addresses public and public charter schools but that cyberbullying language applied across districts and could reach cross‑district incidents.

Votes and next steps: In executive session the committee adopted the amendment and voted to report the bill “ought to pass, as amended” on a recorded vote of 9–8. Some members supported retaining the bill to allow broader input and adjustments on timelines and private‑school coverage; Representative Selig indicated she would prepare the minority report if the committee moved ITL. Committee discussion flagged three likely next steps for floor debate: whether to include private and parochial schools explicitly, whether to soften or add exceptions to the 30‑day implementation timeline for handbooks and policies, and whether to clarify the standard (negligence vs. gross negligence) used for liability language in the bill.","An amended Senate Bill 210 passed out of the House Education Committee after testimony about retaliation, reporting timelines and including cyberbullying language from a related House bill. Some members urged expanding coverage to private and charter schools and refining timelines.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6537617,"Committee advances bill to let DOE accept donations and launch virtual preschool readiness program",2962,437000,3399000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3515962-e4a18d1f62c5599f56419e953940afff&start=437&end=3399","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3515962-e4a18d1f62c5599f56419e953940afff/thumbnail_437000.jpg","/articles/6537617/New-Hampshire/Committee-advances-bill-to-let-DOE-accept-donations-and-launch-virtual-preschool-readiness-program","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6537617-3e82466b93a54c9916d59bcd701b4abf/orig.mp4?Expires=1770448257&Signature=Ak2jMPBuBaeF5tyXrajyO2Z2gtbFJzs~MncBb9Ys0ip4H672thhYaLH32tapx9bWmtf1dFxp8koFhP~9IfY1C4yDNKI57Oozk3g6fW13TlDm-o6aApVAyQAxHj3t3gDZRKrlQyZDQihl1r~aSGmevLHYh0dHK5jkWUJ~GvkHmBBXz8bdTMBYFqZpiDOy7BHMc1Lnkhsrnf1H4sivj-KhCXPjBmGYRi0gXrkOumcHZOw2ySBDijfjOpGlvEOq9m6LgqFZJuwRTa9GvjfuwmTnARV6K5azK9f9bWwZkb0-ALLH1sQ9xRv7Q08fDYPvt9Fbei5gMip1tGCm4hcnQdNuMw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Education Committee advanced an amended version of Senate Bill 69 on a party-line roll call after a hearing during which sponsors and witnesses argued the measure would expand early-literacy options while opponents and school officials urged clearer guardrails for donations and reporting.

The amendment would (1) add a virtual early childhood readiness family engagement program aimed at 4- and 5-year-olds not yet in kindergarten, funded initially by gifts and donations rather than ongoing state appropriations, and (2) change statutory language so school boards must vote to accept or reject charitable contributions (including a provision on anonymous gifts).

Why it matters: Sponsor testimony framed the measure as a lightweight way to expand readiness supports without adding new recurring state costs, while witnesses representing school boards and school administrators said the bill needs clearer limits and procedures so routine, low-value donations (for example, a classroom box of supplies) are not forced into cumbersome public-board handling.

Representative Glenn Cordelli, the prime sponsor, told the committee the amendment “contains a modified version” of a program previously advanced as HB 671 and described the new measure as a “virtual early childhood readiness family engagement program” intended for preschool children not enrolled in kindergarten. Cordelli said the program would “provide readiness, literacy readiness, for reading, math, and science” and that the department “may accept gifts and donations from government as well as private non public sources for the program.”

Waterford.org, a national nonprofit that already delivers an adaptive early‑literacy product, testified in support. Rob Riley, director of partnerships for Waterford.org, said the program is evidence‑based and that Waterford can provide devices and Internet for families who need them: “the laptop device would be provided and the family would be able to keep that beyond the length of the program. The Internet is provided for the duration of the program.” Riley and other witnesses said the product uses short daily sessions (Waterford described a 15‑minute, five‑days‑a‑week prescription).

But the New Hampshire School Boards Association cautioned the committee about the donations language and timing. Becky Wilson, NH School Boards Association policy director, said the amendment “does not have guardrails around this in terms of money amounts or things like that” and urged the committee to clarify whether districts could accept routine items in regular business meetings or would have to bring multiple small gifts to public vote.

Other testifiers, including representatives of school administrators and the Disability Rights Center, urged stronger reporting and evaluation. Representative Balboni and others pressed the sponsor on evaluation measures; Cordelli and witnesses said the reporting requirements from HB 671 were retained but narrowed for pre‑kindergarten participants because the amendment targets a different population than the kindergarten‑focused bill.

Votes and next steps: In executive session the committee adopted the amendment (amendment 2239h) and then voted to report the bill out of committee “ought to pass, as amended.” Committee roll calls on the amendment and the final recommendation were 9 yeas to 8 nays, as recorded on the record. Members discussed possible floor amendments to add a dollar threshold or clarify donor‑platform examples such as DonorsChoose for routine classroom needs.

The committee discussion made clear two near‑term items for floor work: adding a clear fiscal threshold or exceptions for small, routine donations (tissues, classroom craft supplies), and clarifying how the department will implement donation intake and program administration if private funding is used. The bill text as amended specifies that state funds are not required for the program but allows the department to accept private and public donations to operate it.","The House Education Committee voted to advance an amended Senate Bill 69 that would let the state Department of Education accept private and public donations for a virtual early childhood readiness family engagement program and change how school boards accept or reject gifts.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee advances revised ban on teaching discrimination after court concerns; adds scienter and clarifying language

Committee approves study of SAU consolidation; removes repeal of Home Education Advisory Council

Committee advances bullying‑prevention rewrite, adds reporting and timelines; some members seek broader scope

Committee advances bill to let DOE accept donations and launch virtual preschool readiness program