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Committee approves making alternative learning environments optional for districts
Summary
The Senate Education Committee voted to give House Bill 1903 a do-pass recommendation; the bill changes state law so that school districts may offer an alternative learning environment (ALE) but are not required to maintain a formal ALE program if they can meet student needs by other means.
Senator Jane English, State Senator District 13, presented House Bill 1903 with Courtney Salas Ford of the Department of Education explaining the measure.
Courtney Salas Ford told the committee the bill converts a statutory requirement that every district provide an Alternative Learning Environment (ALE) into an option, allowing smaller districts that rely on consortia or cooperatives to provide those services to avoid establishing a standalone ALE. "By making this an option and not a requirement, if a school district feels like they need this alternative setting for their students, they can make that available. But if they feel like they can continue to provide services and needed supports for that student in their traditional setting ... they can do that and not have to send this student to an ALE," Salas Ford said.
Committee members questioned how the bill would interact with separate legislation establishing behavioral health centers and how districts would serve students with severe behavioral needs. Salas Ford said the bills are intended to be complementary: ALEs are for students "who are just not successful in the traditional setting" and provide smaller settings and targeted interventions, while behavioral health centers (a separate bill discussed in committee) would serve a small percentage of students with more severe, aggressive behaviors who need intensive short-term treatment before transitioning back to ALEs or traditional schools.
Members pressed to ensure the bill would not relieve districts of their state and federal obligations to evaluate and serve students with disabilities or behavioral needs. Salas Ford replied that state and federal law would still require districts to assess and provide services; the bill only removes the statutory mandate to maintain a formal ALE in every district and grants districts flexibility to meet needs on campus or through cooperative arrangements.
The committee debated whether ALEs had been misused as punitive placements; Salas Ford said ALEs are not supposed to be punitive and should be used to provide services. Senators and department staff discussed oversight, data and plans to monitor whether new program types achieve intended outcomes; the Department said it would work with DHS, superintendents and behavioral health staff to collect data and replicate successful programs across regions.
After discussion, the committee voted to recommend House Bill 1903 do pass. The transcript records a motion to pass, a second and a voice vote approving the bill; no roll-call vote was recorded in the transcript.
