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House committee approves four education measures in final consideration
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Summary
The House Committee on Education, Arts and Culture approved four measures in a single block vote on May 15, 2024, including bills to recognize school social workers, amend facilitator/teacher responsibilities, allow anonymous school-harassment reports, and order curriculum action on climate change.
SAN JUAN — The House Committee on Education, Arts and Culture held a public final-consideration session on May 15, 2024, and approved four education-related measures in a single block vote, the committee director announced.
The measures considered and approved were: Senate Project 1094 (Sen. William Villafañe), which would add language to the Education Reform Law to recognize and make visible the profession of social work in schools; a substitute to Senate Project 207 (Sen. Tomás Rivera Schatz and Sen. Keren Riquelme) to add provisions clarifying rights, duties and responsibilities of facilitators and teachers under the Education Reform Law; House Project 150303 (Rep. Ramón Luis Cruz Burgos), which would amend provisions related to the anti-bullying law to allow anonymous reporting, specify parameters for statistical data collection and require certain notifications to parents/guardians; and Senate Joint Resolution 455 (Sen. José Luis Dalmau), which directs the Secretary of the Department of Education to implement topics on mitigation, adaptation and climate-change resilience into the school curriculum at all levels.
Alexis Rivera Burgos, director of the commission, told the committee that several texts had been circulated in advance and that "no se recibieron enmiendas adicionales" within the permitted period. The committee moved to a block vote of the four circulated measures; members were called for their votes and several registered "a favor" while at least one member registered abstentions on some measures. Rivera Burgos later announced, "Por el resultado de la votación, señora presidenta, todas las medidas han sido aprobadas." The transcript does not include a full numeric roll-call tally.
The presiding officer instructed the director to prepare, as soon as possible, the certification of the public final-consideration session and to prepare the texts of the measures "tal cual fueron aprobadas" for signature and record. Short recesses were taken at about 10:21 a.m. and 10:24 a.m.; the committee adjourned at 10:25 a.m.
Why it matters: The measures touch on personnel recognition (social work), teacher and facilitator responsibilities, anti-bullying procedures and curriculum content on climate resilience — changes that would affect schools, educators and students across Puerto Rico if enacted. The committee's approvals move these measures forward to the next procedural steps in the legislative process.
What’s next: The director will prepare the session certification and the final texts as approved. The transcript provides no details about subsequent calendar placement, floor debate dates, implementation timelines, or fiscal notes.
