Committee approves substitute for Senate Bill 181 requiring traceable electronic communications between school staff and students

The House Standing Committee on Families and Children on Wednesday adopted a house committee substitute for Senate Bill 181 that would require school districts to designate traceable electronic communication systems as the authorized method for staff, volunteers and coaches to contact students. The committee approved the substitute with a favorable expression after a roll call that the chair said recorded 15 aye votes and one pass.

The substitute defines “family member” and exempts certain family communications from the traceable-app requirement, adds volunteer-investigation language at the request of the bill’s senate sponsor, and incorporates elements of House Bill 805 on pages 16 through 41, including provisions governing Child Protective Services reporting and timelines. Sponsor Senator Tichenor said the bill is intended to “put into place standards that protect the integrity of the education profession, the proper relationships between students and those in authority, but most importantly, it will…