Kensington administrators warn board major state education bills require policy work as legal questions remain

SAU 16 administrators told the Kensington School Board at its meeting that a package of recent actions in the New Hampshire Legislature will require the district to create or revise policies and may affect funding, but legal uncertainty means immediate enforcement steps are pending.

The administrators identified several bills and policy areas the district is monitoring and preparing to address: expansion and funding changes for Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs); a parental bill of rights (House Bill 10) that must be described in student handbooks and posted on school websites; a state-level prohibition on DEIJ‑related practices included late in the budget bill (House Bill 2); a cell‑phone ban that will require a local “bell to bell” policy; clarification of open‑enrollment funding (House Bill 771); and new public reporting requirements for school expenditures (House Bill 1265).

Why it matters: the staff said some items will require immediate local policy action — for example, a cell‑phone ban the legislature directed will require a district policy “ASAP” — while others create administrative and financial questions the…