Transcript Highlights:

• Students paying more attention in class, more social interaction among students.
• Students not one report.
• students.
• policy does allow our older students policy does allow our older students that<00:20:26.440>
• students students well-being<00:21:02.679> social<00:21:03.039> media<00:21:03.520>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Minnesota Senate Education Policy Committee heard testimony on Senate File 508, a bill to restrict cell phone use in schools. Senator Mann said the proposal was based on roundtables with school districts across the state and on reports from other states, and argued that cell phones are harming student attention, mental health, classroom culture, and student-teacher relationships. She said K-8 restrictions are broadly supported, while high school policies should be more flexible, and emphasized that districts should control implementation. The bill also includes funding for education efforts around why the restrictions are being adopted and how students can use technology responsibly. Testifiers largely supported the bill or the general goal of limiting cell phone use. Dr. Anna Tyranny, a parent and licensed psychologist, said cell phones and social media can contribute to anxiety, poor concentration, cyberbullying, and inappropriate sharing, and urged a balanced approach that includes digital literacy education. St. Cloud Area Public Schools Superintendent Laori Pam and Tech High School staff member Molly Kenzie described their district’s policies, which keep phones away for the day in elementary and middle school and restrict them during class in high school. They cited U.S. Department of Education guidance, research on mental health and sleep disruption, and the need for age-appropriate, equitable, and consistently communicated policies. St. Cloud reported that its middle school policy, piloted and then expanded districtwide, led to a 50% reduction in cell phone discipline referrals and fewer classroom power struggles. The district said high school violations remain concentrated in certain grades, especially ninth and eleventh, and that it continues to address the issue through PBIS teams. No vote or final committee action on the bill was described in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:27:00.240> in students that were resident students in students that were resident students
• just foster students. just foster students.
• are foster students. are foster students.
• I'll take the question back and So, when students they when students are So, when students they when
• Yes, with the student. Yes, with the student.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The commission on the costing of special education met to review several documents and updates, including draft materials on residential placements, an LBA dispute resolution report, prior minutes, rate-setting rules, and a letter involving Senator Hassan. The minutes from March 16 were approved by motion, second, and one abstention. Members also received an update that the LBA special education performance audit is still pending; the report is expected to be very large, NHED and the Board of Education must review and comment before release, and it likely will not be available until late summer or early fall. The separate EFA audit was also noted as still unreleased, and members said they may return later to issues involving EFA costing and differentiated aid. A major focus was HB 1099, which would create a committee to study the cost and liability of providing educational services to students placed in residential facilities. The chair explained that the House version had passed unanimously and the bill was headed to a committee of conference. Members discussed a proposed amendment to add the phrase “including but not limited to” so the study would cover not only court-ordered or treatment-related placements but also other residential placements, including those tied to school district decisions. Some members said this was a substantial expansion, while others said it would simply give the committee broader latitude. Jason Stock of the Winnisquam Regional School Board described how the issue arose during budget work at Winnisquam, where the district was trying to determine who should pay for educational services for students living at Spaulding Youth Center in Northfield. He said the district had 10 students attending Winnisquam, including three foster students and seven students connected to Spaulding, and that Spaulding-specific invoicing for 2024-2025 totaled $141,417.05 for eight students. Members also discussed rising private placement tuition costs and the difficulty of determining residency and fiscal responsibility for students placed in residential settings. Department counsel explained that under RSA 193:27 and 193:28, children placed in a home for children may attend the local district school, and that special education cost responsibility depends on whether the student is identified as disabled and on the nature of the placement. Spaulding representatives had not yet presented by the end of the excerpt, and the committee was still working through the residency and funding questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• for students.
• Yes, the students would be counted as a transfer student.
• Students get mentoring, leadership experiences, advising, and the students are excelling.
• The same goes for Hispanic students and white students.
• So, we know that students are leaving college with student loan debt.

Bills: SB1, SB 1

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm here as a working mother with three students, one of them being a high school student, and I'm also
• You know, we recognize that our low-income students, our English learner students, our foster students
• One of our biggest populations of students that have these pressing needs are special education students
• ... ...to recognize our special education students as a deserving group of students that deserve the
• These students have significant cognitive impairments, representing no more than 1% of our students statewide

Summary: The Assembly Education Committee heard a lengthy agenda of education-related bills, with quorum established at the start and several measures taken up on consent or special order. The committee also announced that AB 1644, AB 2362, and later AB 2197 were pulled from the hearing. Members reminded the public of hearing rules and limited testimony to two witnesses each in support and opposition. AB 2651, by Assemblymember Bonta, would require schools to notify parents when school vaccination rates fall below herd-immunity thresholds. Supporters, including physicians, the California State PTA, public health groups, and school employee organizations, argued that families need timely, school-specific information to protect children and vulnerable community members. Opponents raised concerns about privacy, stigma, and whether school-level snapshots could be misleading. The bill passed the committee 5-1 and later 7-1 on the roll call. AB 2509, by Assemblymember Schultz, would allow districts to use a five-year rolling average for ADA funding calculations; supporters said it would stabilize funding amid attendance declines, while one member noted concerns about masking long-term enrollment problems. It passed 5-1 and later 7-2. The committee also approved AB 2430, which would expand after-school access, especially for high school students, improve funding and transparency, and create a work group on program quality. Testimony emphasized the value of expanded learning for youth development and working families, and members discussed the need to address middle school access as well. AB 2526, focused on special education funding, would expand the low-incidence fund to include students qualifying for the California alternate assessment; supporters said it would better align funding with student need, while some concerns remained about over-identification. AB 2325, the Pathways to Bilingual Teaching Act, would create a grant program to build bilingual teacher pipelines through partnerships among schools, community colleges, and universities; it received strong support and passed unanimously. AB 2460, presented by Assemblymember Pellerin for Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez, would update school mental-health referral protocols to address trauma related to immigration enforcement; it also passed unanimously. AB 2404, which sought to require Central Valley representation on several governor-appointed bodies, drew debate over geographic representation and board composition and ultimately failed on a 2-5 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• And the students most affected, students of color, Indigenous students, and students whose first language
• option of remote learning for students. option of remote learning for students.
• at our brown and black students at our brown and black students achievement?
• learning, safety, and student learning. learning, safety, and student learning.
• to meet their students where they're at. to meet their students where they're at.

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: The meeting focused on the impact of recent ICE enforcement activity in Minnesota, especially on schools, students, and families. Speakers, including legislators, superintendents, a school board chair, teachers, parents, and a student, described fear in immigrant and non-immigrant communities, increased absenteeism, disrupted school routines, and broader trauma affecting children’s mental health and learning. Several speakers said students were staying home, families were avoiding bus stops and public places, and educators were taking on extra duties such as transporting students, delivering food, and helping with housing and remote learning options. Testimony included specific examples from Columbia Heights, Fidley Public Schools, Rochester, and Maple Grove. Speakers reported detained students and family members, canceled in-person classes in some districts, expanded virtual learning, and sharp attendance declines; one superintendent cited more than 530 additional daily absences in Rochester and large increases in excused absences among multilingual, low-income, Asian-American, and Latino students. A parent and student speaker described organizing neighborhood safety efforts and a planned student walkout to demand safe busing, suspension of a policy that unenrolls students after 15 consecutive absences, and a pause on standardized testing. The speakers repeatedly called for ICE to be removed from schools and from Minnesota, and urged elected officials to act to protect children and educators. One senator reflected on democracy, liberty, and freedom from fear, linking the situation to the purpose of public education. No formal committee vote or legislative action was taken during the excerpt; the session ended with a transition to questions and a call for community responsibility and support.

Transcript Highlights:

• students but for our um our community. students but for our um our community.
• That did increase students' access to student support personnel.
• and many students remain at home. and many students remain at home.
• thrive and our students to be safe. thrive and our students to be safe.
• but for all students.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Our computer science students dropped, and the PhD drop by 64% this year — the PhD for the students,
• And where do you think... ...those CS students went? Where those students?
• 2,000 law and graduate students.
• But our students don't stand still.
• Our enrollment has increased from 6,700 students in fall of '23 to, as of yesterday, 10,381 students.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing on the economic impact of Massachusetts higher education institutions, with opening remarks noting the significance of September 11 and the role colleges and universities play in the state’s economy, workforce, and research ecosystem. UMass leaders testified first, describing UMass as a major employer and economic driver that educates large numbers of Massachusetts residents, supports thousands of jobs, and generates billions in annual economic activity. They emphasized the importance of research funding, warned that federal grant cancellations, suspensions, and slowdowns were harming research operations and talent retention, and voiced strong support for Governor Healey’s proposed DRIVE initiative as bridge funding to protect research capacity and jobs. Committee members focused heavily on workforce preparation in emerging fields such as AI, cyber, quantum computing, and engineering. UMass leaders said AI is being embedded across curricula and research, but also warned that financial constraints forced reductions in PhD admissions, especially in computer science and engineering, which could weaken the future workforce pipeline. They also described the practical effects of grant uncertainty, including reduced graduate admissions and concerns about losing researchers to institutions abroad. Members asked for more detailed data on grant timing, funding gaps, and where students and researchers were going. A second panel from private colleges and universities, including AICUM, Suffolk, Smith, and Clark, highlighted the broad economic and civic contributions of private higher education. Testimony cited large annual economic impacts, job creation, tax revenue, community service, legal clinics, dual enrollment, entrepreneurship support, sustainability investments, and access programs. Speakers also discussed enrollment pressures, COVID-related social and mental health challenges, student visa and federal policy concerns, and the need to preserve liberal arts alongside career-focused training. The committee then heard from MIT, where testimony focused on research commercialization, biotech spinouts, and the role of federal, philanthropic, and industry funding in sustaining innovation; members pressed for more data on funding sources and asked what state policy could do to keep talent and businesses in Massachusetts. The hearing continued with additional public higher education testimony, including Bridgewater State, Bristol Community College, and Northeastern, which emphasized workforce-aligned programs, social mobility, apprenticeships, co-op education, and the need for better coordination between higher education, employers, and state workforce systems.

Transcript Highlights:

• You mentioned growth and performance related to student performance and low-income students.
• Enrolled students in 2022–23.
• is for all students.
• needs of our students.
• The 80% of Black students... Black students in Fort Worth ISD can't read on grade level.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Education K-16 convened with a quorum, adopted its committee rules, and heard opening remarks from members introducing staff and outlining priorities for the session. Several senators emphasized support for public education, teacher pay and safety, parental choice, and the combined K-16 jurisdiction of the committee. The chair also reviewed hearing procedures, including public testimony registration and time limits. The main item was Senate Bill 2, the Texas Education Freedom Act, laid out by Chairman Creighton. He described the bill as an education savings account program intended to expand school choice, with a $200 million universal eligibility pool and an additional $800 million targeted to students with disabilities and lower-income families. He said the bill includes anti-fraud safeguards, criminal background checks for vendors, reporting requirements, data protections, and annual testing for participating students, while not imposing STAAR on private schools or homeschoolers. He also said the bill removes a prior hold-harmless provision for public schools and is separate from public school funding and teacher pay legislation. Members questioned the bill’s income threshold, lottery and priority structure, treatment of homeschoolers, microschools, charter schools, religious freedom protections, citizenship/lawful presence language, cybersecurity, open records, and disability-related issues, including whether 504 students and foster children should be included. Creighton said the bill is designed to prioritize former public school students with disabilities or lower incomes, while also allowing universal eligibility within the program’s first funding tier, and that the Comptroller would oversee vendor screening and cybersecurity rules. He said the bill does not direct curriculum or interfere with religious beliefs and that amendments may be offered later on citizenship and other issues. After member questions, the committee began invited testimony, starting with EdChoice representative Robert Inlow, who testified in support of SB 2 and cited national growth in school choice programs and studies he said show positive effects for students and public schools.

Transcript Highlights:

• , the country in supporting our students, the country in supporting our students, not<00:02:03.280
• :06.719> that,<00:02:07.680> and students deserve better than that, and students deserve
• 40% of our student population. 40% of our student population.
• These students are innocent. These students deserve an education.
• These students are innocent. education. These students are innocent.

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: Legislators and school counselors discussed a bill aimed at strengthening school counseling services in Minnesota. Supporters said the proposal would clarify counselors’ roles in state policy, require at least one school counselor in every school, and ensure counselors spend 80% of their time in direct services to students rather than being assigned to duties like hall monitoring or substitute teaching. The bill was described as building on prior efforts to expand student mental health supports after COVID and responding to Minnesota’s low student-to-counselor ratio, which speakers said ranks 48th nationally. Several counselors testified about the pressures facing students and schools, especially in communities affected by ICE enforcement and broader trauma. A St. Paul counselor described students displaced by enforcement actions, a child whose father was detained, and schools serving as food distribution centers. Another counselor from Minneapolis said students were experiencing chronic stress, fear, and difficulty focusing on school, with staff organizing mutual aid, delivering supplies, and helping students continue learning from home. Speakers said these conditions are statewide and that counselors are providing trauma support, family crisis navigation, and basic needs assistance. In response to questions, a Minnesota School Counselor Association advocate said the bill is intended to give counselors a clearer state framework and support their professional training and responsibilities. No vote or formal committee action was described in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• It started at 40. students—40 medical students in 2009.
• You can't train medical students, nursing students, or health professional students.
• , including 13 MD-PhD students, we only make an offer to 245 pure medical students. 90% of the students
• About 42% of my students are first-generation college students, and about 48% of my students are Pell-eligible
• students.

Bills: SB1, SB 1

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Our most vulnerable students, English language learners, low-income students, students with learning
• High-need students are low-income students, ELL students, and students with disabilities.
• or 100 students.
• We are a student-run, student-funded student organization that advocates for public interest issues affecting
• I want to tell you about one student, a former student of mine.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Ways and Means Committee held its final public hearing on the FY26 state budget, with chairs and members emphasizing that public testimony would help shape the budget and asking speakers to keep remarks brief. Committee leaders introduced members, explained the hearing process, and repeatedly thanked residents, students, and advocates for participating. No votes were taken during the hearing. Testimony focused heavily on education funding and the Chapter 70 formula. Students from Amherst, Northampton, Gateway Regional, Chester Elementary, and other districts described budget-driven cuts to electives, special education supports, paraprofessionals, counselors, transportation, and building maintenance. They urged higher Chapter 70 aid, increased minimum aid, rural school aid, and a reopening or restructuring of the funding formula, arguing that current formulas leave many districts unable to meet student needs and force local layoffs and overrides. Other speakers urged funding or protection for a range of programs and facilities, including the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute for homicide survivor services, the Museum of African American History, the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and CART/interpreter services, the Access to Counsel housing legal aid program, the Department of Mental Health and Pocasset Mental Health Center, and Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children. One speaker opposed offshore wind-related spending and urged a reset of the state’s energy approach, while another advocated ending the aircraft sales tax exemption. Committee members responded sympathetically to many speakers, asked a few follow-up questions, and several expressed support for maintaining or expanding the programs discussed.

Transcript Highlights:

• , but not all students—students who are here on a visa, students who are immigrants, and students who
• Citizen students do participate in immigrant student groups on campus quite actively.
• And it increases the surveillance of those students and their student groups. Thank you.
• Citizens students do participate in immigrant students, student groups on campus quite actively.
• And it increases the surveillance of those students and their student groups. Thank you.

Summary: The Senate Education K-16 Committee heard several bills before recessing to the floor, with most measures left pending subject to the call of the chair. SB 2986 would allow public schools and universities to permit after-hours facility use by religious groups on the same terms as other nonprofits, and SB 1032 would open the Governor’s University Research Initiative to private and independent universities; both had committee substitutes adopted and were left pending after brief testimony. Supporters of SB 1032 from Rice and Baylor said the change would help Texas recruit top researchers and strengthen the state’s research economy. The committee also heard SB 2058, which would require the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to publish annual data on nursing clinical training sites to improve placement coordination, and SB 2683, which would bar public colleges from giving benefits or recognition to student organizations that receive support from foreign entities of concern; both were left pending after testimony. A large portion of the meeting focused on SB 2233, which would require public institutions of higher education to adopt policies prohibiting students or employees on nonimmigrant visas from publicly supporting terrorist activity or organizations, with enforcement through investigations, reporting to Homeland Security, and possible Attorney General action and fines. The author said the bill was intended to reinforce existing federal definitions and campus safety, while senators questioned the bill’s scope, the definition of terrorist activity, and the clause tied to U.S. policy or practice. Public witnesses, including civil rights advocates, law students, and others, argued the bill was vague, overbroad, unconstitutional, and likely to chill protected speech and increase surveillance of international students and Black and brown communities; several Jewish witnesses also said the bill misused Jewish safety concerns and could be used for viewpoint discrimination. SB 2233 was left pending after public testimony. The committee then took up SB 735, which builds on prior Holocaust education legislation by funding optional age-appropriate and bilingual curriculum, museum field trips, teacher preparation partnerships, annual reporting, and regional collaboration with Holocaust museums and education service centers. The author and invited witnesses said the bill responds to survey findings showing uneven Holocaust instruction and a need for better teacher training and accountability. A fifth-grade teacher and the director of the Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio testified in support, emphasizing the need for accurate, age-appropriate instruction and professional development. The committee recessed before finishing the agenda, and SB 735 was set to resume after the floor session.

Transcript Highlights:

• turning or students left and right.
• all the students support.
• We spend a lot of time working with our students and any student who doesn't pass the and collects for
• And then the second thing is at the student level, could there be some kind of incentive to the student
• the students.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• 23. 24 to 53,532 students in. 24 25.
• Those which prepare students for those mid skill high wage careers, price from 122,515 students.
• So 137,610 students.
• from 25,693 students to 27,000, 476 students.
• about $1900 per student.

Transcript Highlights:

• , white students, Hispanic students, and black students in California.
• students.
• The, just the increase and exponential impact, negative impact on students of color and students who
• Unfortunately that our students of color and our students who are economically disadvantaged and our
• Not just students. I think our students who even before were not qualified for free meals.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• students.
• We desperately need the basic student allotment increase to support student learning.
• I'm so proud of our students.
• We have to raise $110,000 for our student body of 400 students.
• unhoused students.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• management and student support. management and student support.
• student loan programs. student loan programs.
• , independent students, students with dependence.
• students, students with dependence. students, students with dependence.
• public students versus private students. public students versus private students.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• students, or students in special education.
• students are students in special education.
• , having staff that look like our students and that our students can relate to.
• and 23% for white students.
• They dampen student attendance, and they disproportionately affect students of color.

Summary: The Select Committee on Youth Mental Health and Treatment Access held its third hearing to review the state of youth mental health, progress under the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI), and remaining implementation and funding challenges. The chair emphasized that schools are often the main point where education, health care, and social services intersect for students, and that the committee’s goal is to ensure public investments translate into better access and outcomes. The hearing featured testimony from researchers, a youth advocate, state officials, and local practitioners. PPIC researcher Shalini Mostala reported that teen mental health remains a serious concern, with high rates of chronic sadness, hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts, though recent California data show some improvement since the pandemic. She noted persistent disparities by gender, race, and rural status, and said school-based health centers, wellness centers, and community schools are associated with lower suicidal thoughts. Youth advocate Ella Cruz, speaking for NAMI California, described her own mental health struggles and argued that youth voice, peer-to-peer support, and reducing stigma are essential; she also said technology and AI cannot replace trusted adults or trained professionals. Committee members asked about phone use, stigma, cultural barriers, and how to make supports more accessible and relatable to students. Dr. Sohill Sood of the California Health and Human Services Agency said statewide survey data show declining stigma, increased counseling use, and lower suicide ideation among students, and he highlighted CYBHI’s certified wellness coaches, digital tools, awareness campaigns, and the first-in-the-nation fee schedule that allows schools and colleges to bill health plans for behavioral health services. He said the program is growing quickly, with more than 230,000 claims and over $11 million in new revenue to date, while acknowledging that billing systems and coordination are still being built. Trina Frazier of Fresno County described a multi-tiered system of care supported by CYBHI, CalAIM, and other grants, serving thousands of students through school-based services, wellness centers, and mobile therapy units; she said ongoing funding and flexibility are critical. Rachel Kroberniski of El Segundo High School’s James Morehouse Project described a long-running wellness center and peer mentorship model that supports students in multiple languages, and said peer programs help students feel seen, connected, and more willing to seek help. Members broadly praised the flexibility, collaboration, and peer-based approaches described by the witnesses. Questions focused on sustaining funding after one-time grants expire, improving coordination among schools, counties, and providers, expanding the fee schedule to higher education, and ensuring continuity of care for students after high school. Officials said county offices of education, DHCS, and other partners are using communities of practice and technical assistance to spread best practices, and that CYBHI services can follow some young adults through age 25, with additional supports through community-based programs and digital platforms.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then finally, student mobility, and that's essentially students moving in and out of schools because
• it defined as Native American students, English learners, low-income students, and students with disabilities
• Raise student results and also kind of gets to the polling you started off with, asking students about
• They just need to have secondary students. Students for that funding.
• Grade students who couldn't read.

Transcript Highlights:

• the students because we're doing the educating of the students, partnering with the parents before we
• It is the ability for a teacher were not talking students to connect to that student information system
• They have to group the students and then they have to locate to Co double tax based on how the students
• They turn that over to the students and the students are using their own skills and their leadership
• , students, how the school protect, you know, students, personal data when they're you seen a I. >> Is