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Agency of Education urges delay on expanding HHB prevention advisory council in H931
Summary
The Agency of Education told the House Education committee it is "generally not supportive" of a late-session change in H931 that would expand the Hazing, Harassment and Bullying (HHB) Prevention Advisory Council, urging lawmakers to wait until the agency completes model-policy revisions and implementation work next year.
Courtney O'Brien, director of the Agency of Education’s Safe and Healthy Schools Division, told the House Education committee on May 12 that the agency is “generally not supportive of this expansion in this moment in time,” and asked lawmakers to delay statutory changes to the HHB prevention advisory council until the agency completes near-term policy and implementation work.
The council is established in Vermont Title 16, section 570 to advise and coordinate hazing, harassment and bullying prevention and response in partnership with the Agency of Education. O'Brien said the agency and partners had attempted compromise language for the proposed change and that the proposal would increase membership — "I believe" to 17 participants, she said — but that the timing of the change is the primary concern.
AOE staff described a multi-part, field-centered effort already underway: near-final revisions to the model policy for investigation and response expected for release by the end of May, drafting of a larger comprehensive prevention policy whose first draft would likely be available for public comment after July 1, an anticipated RFP for statewide professional development, template communications for schools, and a review of data practices to improve prevention metrics. O'Brien said those activities aim to produce a coherent prevention strategy before adjusting statutory membership or scope.
Lawmakers pressed on the practical effects of expanding the council now. When a committee member asked “What do you fear from… an expanded advisory committee,” O'Brien said adding members at this moment could interrupt the council’s efficiency, worsen quorum and scheduling challenges, and risk the council and the agency “running in parallel and not talking to each other” while important implementation steps are underway. She framed the request as a timing issue rather than opposition to broader membership generally.
Some committee members voiced a counterpoint. Conlin, a committee member, said proponents of expansion argue there are not enough avenues for non-agency input and that adding members could increase participation and stakeholder representation. Representative Long asked why adding “people who are committed and voices engaged in this process every single day” would not ease the agency’s difficulty getting forms and participation; O'Brien replied that logistical constraints — members’ competing obligations and scheduling — frequently limit outside participants’ ability to attend.
O'Brien also noted the council had intermittent meetings from mid-2023 through early 2025 because of flood response, leadership turnover, and quorum issues, and that Secretary Saunders reestablished the council in February 2025 to advance model-policy revisions. She identified Big Hartman of the Human Rights Commission as the council’s current chair.
The committee did not vote on the H931 addition at the May 12 hearing. O'Brien’s request to postpone membership or scope changes was recorded for committee consideration as the agency finalizes policy work and early implementation; the committee will continue taking testimony this week and may receive further competing views before any final decision.
