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Senate approves parental‑notification bill for student safety after emotional floor testimony
Summary
The Senate adopted a second substitute to HB134 requiring schools to notify parents when students threaten suicide or are involved in bullying, with privacy protections. The bill passed 27‑1 on March 12, 2013 after testimony about the state's youth suicide rate and questions about school liability.
Senators passed the second substitute to House Bill 134 on March 12, sending the measure forward after floor debate about scope, privacy and liability.
Sponsor Senator Robles described the substitute as aligned with prior Senate work on notifications and emphasized privacy safeguards: "HB134 ... is asking the school to put a system in place to notify the parents." The substitute aims to ensure parents are informed when a student expresses suicidal intent or is a target/participant in a bullying incident while treating related information with existing privacy protections.
Senator Backus gave a personal account invoking recent local fatalities to underline urgency: "We do have a very high youth suicide rate in the state," she said, and urged colleagues to vote yes. Senator Dayton explained his lone 'no' vote citing concerns about potential increased liability for schools and additional mental‑health responsibilities: "I'm a no vote on this however because of my concern for the liability issues we might be giving to the school..." After debate, the second substitute was adopted and received 27 yeas, 1 nay, 1 absent.
The substitute does not create criminal penalties for schools that fail to notify; sponsors said it instead creates a framework for districts to set notification systems and to protect student privacy. The bill will be read again as required and transmitted for further consideration.
