Committee backs bill letting parents maintain community-service records for students

Senator Brianne Davis presented House Bill 1756 to the Senate Education Committee, which would allow parents to maintain records of their children's required community-service hours under the LEARNS Act, with those records subject to audit by the Department of Education.

Brianne Davis said the bill is intended to reduce administrative burden on school counselors and allow parents to compile documentation if they request to do so. Jacob Levy of the Department of Education explained districts currently manage community-service verification using district-created forms and that school staff typically log approved hours into student records.

Levy said the graduation requirement applies to students in the ninth through twelfth grades (a cohort implementation described in the rules) and that districts have discretion about what they accept as qualifying community service. "Many of the districts have created their own forms so that if a child… they have a standard form from the district that the adult supervisor would sign," Levy said.

Committee members expressed concern about administrative burden and whether districts should provide a standardized electronic process. The department said districts typically collect signed forms, scan them and log the hours in a student record; some districts use databases. The committee discussed whether a centralized or district-level electronic system could reduce paperwork.

The committee voted to pass the bill by voice vote; the transcript records a motion and a voice vote of "aye." The department and sponsor said they will work with districts to ease implementation and explore electronic options.