House committee approves RS32405C1 to add immigration status and nationality to aggregate student demographics

The House Education Committee on a roll-call vote agreed to introduce RS32405C1, a request statute that would add immigration status and nationality to the aggregate demographic data collected and reported for kindergarten through grade 12 in Idaho public educational institutions.

Sponsor Representative Steve Tanner, R‑Nampa, told the committee the change aims to give policymakers better information to plan services for students who may need additional supports such as English-language instruction. "We need some statistics, we need some information," Tanner said, describing earlier requests for data and a concern that existing public reports do not show how many students in Idaho public schools fall…