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Committee declines to report IEP emergency-procedures bill after members question one-size-fits-all approach
Summary
Senate Bill 1126, which would have expanded statutory coverage for individualized emergency procedures within individualized education programs (IEPs), failed to report out of committee. Senators raised concerns that the measure, as drafted, would require emergency procedures for every IEP and could create unworkable burdens for schools.
The Senate Education and Health Committee declined to report Senate Bill 1126 after senators said the measure was drafted too broadly and could undermine the individualized nature of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
The substitute presented to the committee would have conformed the bill to a House version and allowed certain emergency-procedure language to be included in IEP sections covering accommodations and supports. It would also have provided that no school-board employee be disciplined for acts or omissions resulting from failure to implement those IEP sections except in cases of gross negligence or willful misconduct.
Several senators, including the chair of the subcommittee, said they had "real reservations" about a mandate that would require every student with an IEP to have an emergency procedure section. Senator Van Valkenburg said that requirement could defeat the individualized intent of an IEP and create significant burdens for schools. Senator Boisco said the bill was "a work in progress" and asked that additional changes be made.
After discussion, the motion to report SB 1126 failed. Senators said they favored additional stakeholder work and revisions to narrow the bill so it would not impose unnecessary or uniform obligations on every IEP.
Ending: The patron and committee members indicated they will continue conversations to refine the language before any future reintroduction.
