House approves school safety and calendar changes: vendors to train on mobile alerts; districts may waive makeup days under conditions

The House adopted committee amendments and advanced two education bills on the floor that address school safety equipment and statutory rules on makeup days.

On House Bill 32 58 (education/public works), the House approved an amendment requiring vendors — not the State Department of Education — to provide training to schools on the operation of mobile alert systems added to the list of allowable safety equipment. "The amendment, is from the committee to require that vendors train the schools in the operation of the alert system instead of the State Department of Education doing the training," Miss Erickson said when presenting the amendment. Members adopted the amendment and the bill passed on second reading.

Separately, House Bill 37 78 (education) addresses weather‑related makeup days. Miss Erickson, explaining the bill for Representative Bannister, said the measure would allow school districts to waive the statutory requirement to make up certain public school days if the district follows stipulated procedures, including using days already provided for such purposes under current law. The committee inserted into the bill a requirement that districts must first use existing allotted days. On the floor, Coach Hayes asked a clarifying question about how the statutory counts interact: "So they used their 5 e learning days. They used their 3 days that had to be on the calendar, which would make it 8. And then can the can the school board, do up to 3? So 11." Miss Erickson confirmed the bill accounts for those prior allowances and for emergencies such as multiple severe weather events.

Both bills were approved on second reading after roll calls. The transcript records the amendment adoptions and second‑reading passage; specific roll call tallies for 32 58 and 37 78 are recorded in the session record as "passed on second reading" but precise counts are not specified in all instances.

Why it matters: H 32 58 changes who provides hands‑on training for new safety equipment in schools, shifting that operational responsibility to vendors. H 37 78 provides districts a statutory route to manage makeup days after exhausting existing e‑learning and required calendar days — a change intended to give local districts flexibility after weather emergencies.

Next steps: Both bills will proceed toward third reading and further floor consideration.