House advances bill allowing 'locative devices' for students with IEPs after floor clarifications
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Summary
Delegates clarified that a proposed bill would permit schools to use locative/GPS devices only for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and only with parental agreement; supporters called it potentially life‑saving while members sought limits and privacy safeguards. The bill was auto‑printed for third reading.
A floor debate on a bill authorizing schools to enter agreements to use locative (GPS‑style) devices for students concluded with clarifications that the measure, as amended, applies only to students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and requires parental agreement.
The floor leader (speaker 16) explained the amendments and scope: the bill allows schools, after an agreement with a parent or guardian, to track an individual student who has a documented history of elopement or wandering as reflected in an IEP. The floor leader emphasized that the language limits the bill to IEP students and excludes behavioral intervention plans that had been considered earlier.
Delegates asked repeated procedural and scope questions: whether the bill applied to students who wander (not formally elope), whether it would permit audio or video recording, and how parental consent would be handled. The floor leader and other proponents answered that the device would be used only with parental agreement, that the primary intent was safety for students prone to wandering (examples cited included children with autism who might head toward water), and that the bill seeks to be narrowly targeted.
Supporters framed the provision as a protective, narrowly tailored option. A delegate from Hartford County (speaker 21) said the measure could be “potentially life‑saving” for certain students. Opponents and questioners pressed for details on privacy, data use, sunset provisions and whether the program would require additional state funding; the floor leader indicated the bill primarily establishes authority and process rather than an immediate, statewide funding mandate.
The House accepted the committee amendments and auto‑printed the bill for third reading.
Why it matters: The bill would create a statutory mechanism for schools to enter into agreements with families to use locative devices for students with IEPs, balancing safety concerns against privacy and consent questions that lawmakers pressed on the floor.
What's next: The bill is printed for third reading; proponents and critics asked for further clarity on implementation details and safeguards in subsequent drafting or committee work.