Transcript Highlights:

• How many kids can actually read and do math on grade level.
• level and 31% can do math on grade level.
• I mean that's that's the minimum is that it's on grade level.
• One of them is grade level and the other one is so not. Not meeting grade level.
• Yeah, we're kindergarten through seventh grade, adding your grade level each year up to 12th grade.

Bills: SB451, SB762, SB1490, SB1262, SB1459, SB1750, SB1962, SB2252, SB2253, SB2365

Keywords: instructional materials, public schools, Education Code, adoption, rejected materials, local funds, open educational resources, Texas Education Code, school districts, open enrollment charter schools, funding restrictions, environmental regulation, business compliance, local authority, economic development, state preemption, local control, open education resources, SB 762, Texas public schools

Transcript Highlights:

• They could do algebra and geometry at a 9th or 10th grade level.
• Forty percent of our third grade children reading at grade level, and we know that that figure is far
• Last year's MCAS scores show that only four in 10 third grade students are reading at grade level.
• By third grade, he was reading and writing at a pre-kindergarten level, approximately four grade levels
• level, but at risk of falling below grade level at an earlier time.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The House took up several procedural orders early in the session, including extending the reporting deadline for the Housing Committee on H.4655 and suspending Joint Rule 12 for a petition seeking to rescind prior Article 5 constitutional convention applications. It then advanced three Ways and Means bills on education-related topics: personal financial literacy education (H.4670), expanded access to the state seal of biliteracy (H.4671), and teacher preparation and student literacy (H.4672), each moving through amendment adoption and third reading or engrossment procedures. A major portion of the meeting focused on H.4670, which would require personal financial literacy instruction in middle and high school and establish a financial literacy trust fund for curriculum and teacher training. Members spoke in support, emphasizing budgeting, credit, student loans, and long-term financial planning, and the bill passed to be engrossed by a 154-0 roll call. H.4671, which broadens access to the seal of biliteracy for students in public and private schools, also drew support and passed to be engrossed 155-0. The most extensive debate centered on H.4672, a literacy bill requiring evidence-based reading instruction, DESE-approved curricula or approved local alternatives, screening and progress monitoring, professional development, and related implementation measures. Members described concerns about declining reading scores and argued for a shift away from three-cueing toward phonics-based, science-of-reading approaches. Several amendments were considered: a proposal to change intervention language from “significantly” to “at risk of falling behind” failed, while amendments adding funding language, stakeholder collaboration, and other implementation details were adopted. One amendment clarifying that pictures may be used as a supplement in literacy curricula was also adopted, and the bill ultimately passed to be engrossed 155-0. The House also observed moments of silence for former Judge Leslie Harris, former Representative Mark Carron, and former Representative Dennis Rosa, and adjourned to meet the next day at 11 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• on grade level.
• kids on grade level in reading.
• You can see the distribution of students who are mastering grade level versus meeting grade level, approaching
• grade level, and then at the does not meet grade level threshold.
• This is STAR meets grade level or above. This is for eighth grade.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Do you know if the house bill has like a true grade level Retention. Mr.
• If by the end of 3rd grade you're not on level, that's the retention component.
• level?
• Three weeks, a teacher made that correction, and he was reading 1/6 grade level within 3 weeks.
• And right now, about 27% of Oklahoma third graders are reading at grade level.

Bills: SB1778, SB1570, SB134, SB1966, SB1636, SB1725, SB1726, SB259, SB504, SB592, SB2030, SB1572, SB843, SB1242, SB1255, SB1262, SB1264, SB1286, SB1581, SB1290, SB1316, SB1319, SB1369, SB1379, SB1381, SB1400, SB1427, SB1436, SB1461, SB1496, SB1509, SB1534, SB1553, SB904, SB1592, SB1645, SB1684, SB1767, SB1772, SB1813, SB1894, SB1928, SB1946, SB1980, SB2040, SB2060, SB2061

Keywords: reading instruction, literacy, educational equity, intervention services, third grade retention, Strong Readers Act, child welfare, child safety, administrative transition, Department of Child Safety and Well-being, Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth, juvenile justice, foster care, retirement, public employees, reemployment, benefit adjustment, Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System, memorial highways, bridge designations

Transcript Highlights:

• The highest grade level there is you're going to see are 12th-grade students.
• The highest grade level there is you're going to see are 12th grade students.
• level, third-grade reading level.
• on grade level.
• And we talked about the third-grade reading level.

Summary: The Senate and House Joint Committee on Children and Youth met to approve prior minutes, confirm Representative Mary Bentley to the Child Maltreatment Investigations Oversight Committee, and receive several presentations. The Arkansas Infant and Child Death Review team reported on unexpected child deaths in Arkansas, saying its 2023 review covered 148 of 170 non-natural deaths, with the remainder unavailable due to criminal investigations or missing records. Of the reviewed deaths, 69 were accidents, 14 suicides, 18 homicides, and 47 undetermined, and members discussed how the report’s recommendations could be used by agencies and nonprofits for prevention work and grant applications. Committee members also asked about age breakdowns and how the data could be shared without identifying individual cases. The committee then took up HCR 1010 and a broader discussion of juvenile justice reform. Representative Shepard said the resolution was intended to confront data on juvenile incarceration and system outcomes. Senator Missy Irvin, judges Troy Braswell and Kathy Hess, and AOC Juvenile Division Director Burke Steen described the state’s long-running reform efforts, including the SAVRY risk assessment, diversion programs, and efforts to keep more youth in their communities. They said the reforms have reduced delinquency filings, DYS commitments, and revocations, while increasing diversions, but also emphasized ongoing gaps in mental health, substance abuse, and school-based supports. Members raised concerns about school data sharing, behavioral health access, and how to better identify youth with disabilities or trauma earlier. Judge Braswell and others stressed that many youth in the system have significant trauma, family instability, or unmet treatment needs, and that judges need individualized information to make decisions. Several members discussed the role of schools, the school safety dashboard, and the need for stronger community providers, especially in rural areas. The committee then heard from DYS Director Michael Crump, who provided data on commitments, facility use, demographics, offense levels, length of stay, education outcomes, recidivism, dual DCFS/DYS custody, and costs. He said commitments rose after the pandemic and then began to decline, while secure and detention costs increased with the need for more beds; he also noted that most youth in custody have behavioral health needs and that DYS works closely with DCFS, courts, and providers. No final action was taken on HCR 1010 during the discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• , grade level or math level or reading level or whatever, the same way as those that are coming out of
• to 50% at grade level.
• , grade level or math level or reading level or whatever, the same way as those that are coming out of
• to 50% at grade level.
• at grade level, they can't be all in my district.

Summary: The Arkansas Legislative Council meeting began with approval of the December 2025 minutes and a presentation from the Bureau of Legislative Research on the December revenue report. Dr. Carlos Silva said gross collections were about $4.02 billion, up slightly from the prior year, and net available for distribution was also above last year but down modestly from the previous month because of higher-than-expected corporate income tax refunds. Members asked about corporate tax trends, tariffs, and inflation, and Silva said it was too early to call the corporate decline a trend and that tariff effects would likely show up mainly in sales tax collections. The council then adopted several subcommittee reports, including the Executive Committee Subcommittee, Administrative Rules, Hospital/Medicaid/Developmental Disabilities, Occupational Licensing Review, PEER, Review, State Insurance Program Oversight, and Personnel. The PEER report drew the most debate because of a Department of Agriculture grant tied to Perry County and Central Arkansas Water; members discussed whether removing the Perry County portion would affect the grant’s competitiveness, and the report was ultimately adopted with the item included. The Review Subcommittee also heard questions about a BDO contract for the rural health transformation program, with DFA explaining that the contractor would manage the program while state agencies would make funding decisions consistent with the state’s application. A major portion of the meeting focused on the Education Freedom Account appropriation tied to LEARNS. Senators and representatives debated whether the program helps families or diverts money from public schools, with supporters arguing it funds students and choice and opponents arguing it is costly, vulnerable to fraud, and harms public school funding. Department of Education officials said roughly 28,000 private school students and 17,500 homeschool students were participating, that EFA students must submit standardized tests annually, and that the requested $32 million was to cover existing participants. After multiple substitute motions and extended debate, the body rejected a motion to strip out the $32 million and then adopted the report and related motions. The meeting ended after routine approvals of additional agency items and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're in a situation where 73% of our third graders cannot read at grade level, and it's unacceptable
• In my opening statement, I mentioned how 73% of Oklahoma third graders are Not reading at grade level
• I mean we're talking about students that are in kindergarten, 1st grade, second grade.
• We need kids to be doing better in the first grade and the second grade.
• teachers, second-grade teachers, third-grade teachers, the transition teachers for schools that decide

Bills: HB4420, HB3974, HB3016, HB3062, HB3021, HB3145, HB4128, HB3131, HB3015, HB3472, HB3453, HB1638, HB4126, HB2696, HB2710, HB3552, HB3031, HB3544, HB3521, HB4490, HB4488, HB1746, HJR1069, HB4428, HB4429, HB1170, HB3538, HB4124, HB3904, HB4106, HB2999, HB3982, HJR1077, HB3464, HB2588, HB3462, HB4440, HB3674, HB3345, HJR1067, HB4326, HB4331, HB4337, HB4338, HB4359, HB4392, HB3557, HJR1076, HB4003, HB3495, HB3497, HB3501, HB3505, HB3749, HB3011, HB4336, HB4346, HJR1087, HB3240, HB3647, HB3796, HB3969, HB3972, HB3983, HB3984, HB3989, HB3383, HB3130, HB4358, HB3327, HJR1055, HB3386, HJR1089, HB3087, HB2970, HB3314, HB4129, HB4199

Keywords: reading, intervention, literacy, education, third grade retention, teacher training, funding, Strong Readers Act, tort claims, inmate housing, government immunity, public trust, private prison, emergency legislation, vision screening, binocular vision, kindergarten, elementary education, health, firearm rights

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, if we're not using the current grade level standard for them, then they're already behind because
• Then we'll give them access to the grade-level content.
• When you said start at grade level, when we take, so I taught freshmen and juniors, um, algebra 1 and
• Who are at the kindergarten level to hopefully you have a few at 8th grade level coming in.
• Just a blanket statement that start at grade level doesn't quite work, not as, not in these days, not

Transcript Highlights:

• BUT THE NATIONAL LEVEL AS WELL.
• THE STATE LEVEL.
• THE PROGRESSION WAS WE HAVE GRADES, LET'S AS A BENCHMARK.
• A PARTICULAR GRADE OR REWARDS FOR YOU FOR A PARTICULAR GRADE WE ARE HAVING THAT CONVERSATION TO EXPLORE
• FOR THE GRADES, WHAT QUALIFIES A PARTICIPANT?

Transcript Highlights:

• We broke that down by the number of students per grade level.
• The highest grade level there is you're going to see are 12th grade students.
• level, third-grade reading level.
• so that by the time they get to third grade, they're reading on grade level.
• And we talk about the third-grade reading level.

Summary: The Senate and House Joint Committee on Children and Youth approved the December 10 minutes and confirmed Representative Mary Bentley to the Child Maltreatment Investigations Oversight Committee. The committee then heard the annual Arkansas Infant and Child Death Review report, which said the state reviewed 148 of 170 non-natural child deaths in 2023; the reviewed deaths included 69 accidents, 14 suicides, 18 homicides, and 47 undetermined causes. Members asked about how the report’s recommendations could be used, grant opportunities tied to prevention work, and whether the data could be broken down by age; presenters said the report is intended as a prevention tool for agencies and nonprofits and that some age detail is available in later pages of the report. The committee next took up HCR 1010 and then a broader discussion of juvenile justice reform. Senator Missy Irvin, judges, and Administrative Office of the Courts staff described Arkansas’s use of validated risk assessments, including SAVRY, the Ohio Youth Assessment Tool, MAYSI, and substance-abuse screening, as part of a long-running effort to reduce juvenile incarceration and tailor services to individual youth and families. They said the reforms have contributed to fewer delinquency filings, fewer DYS commitments, and more diversions, while also emphasizing that mental health, substance abuse, school issues, and trauma often drive juvenile court involvement. Several members raised concerns about data gaps, school collaboration, and whether community-based services are sufficient, and presenters said more shared data and stronger school use of safety dashboards could help intervene earlier. Division of Youth Services Director Michael Crump then presented custody, education, recidivism, and cost data. He said DYS commitments rose after the pandemic, secure residential populations remain high, and detention-center use increased when intake beds filled; he also noted that DYS pays about $320 per day for secure custody and that detention beds cost roughly $90 to $100 per day. Crump said most youth in custody are older teens, about 80 percent are male, and many have behavioral-health needs or educational deficits; he reported 222 GEDs and 102 high school diplomas over six years. He also said about 15 to 19 percent of youth return to DYS within three years and that a larger share later enter the Department of Corrections, while members pressed him on how assessments relate to commitments, how low-risk cases are handled, and how to improve mental health and substance-abuse services statewide.

Transcript Highlights:

• level to address this problem that I just articulated with many of our students not being on grade level
• level and doing math on grade level.
• directly to Texas standards and shaped by educator input, we can ensure we maintain visibility of student grade-level
• With five years of disrupted accountability and only around half of students reading on grade level,
• instructional growth score. ...scores for each student: a summative criterion-referenced score based on grade-level

Bills: HB4, HB20

Keywords: district composition, congressional election, Texas, legislature, voting districts, fraudulent solicitation, disaster relief, nonprofit organizations, criminal penalties, consumer protection, fraud prevention, charitable donations

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 2853, which would allow the UT System Board of Regents to adjust the University of Texas at El Paso student union fee above the current statutory cap, subject to student approval, to help fund a new student union building. Senator Blanco explained the bill and the committee substitute, there were no questions or witnesses, public testimony was closed, and the committee adopted the substitute and left the bill pending subject to the call of the chair. The committee then heard House Bill 610, which would limit severance payments for terminated independent school district superintendents to six months’ salary and benefits. Senator Paxton described large severance payouts and said the bill had passed the House overwhelmingly. There were no witnesses, public testimony was closed, and the bill was left pending. A lengthy hearing followed on House Bill 4623, which would waive school district immunity in certain cases involving negligent hiring, supervision, or employment of professional school employees who commit abuse or related misconduct against students. Senator Paxton and several witnesses, including survivors and parents, argued the bill was needed to address cover-ups, delayed reporting, and repeated failures to remove dangerous employees; some members raised concerns about liability caps, litigation, and how the bill would interact with the Tort Claims Act. The committee also heard from TEA staff and employee-group witnesses who discussed possible injunctions and stronger no-hire protections. Public testimony was then closed and the bill was left pending. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 4, an accountability and assessment bill that would restore A-F ratings, change the state testing system, and replace STAAR with shorter, more instructionally useful assessments. Senator Bettencourt explained the committee substitute, including annual ratings, limits on taxpayer-funded lawsuits, and a phased-in testing redesign with beginning, middle, and end-of-year assessments. Testimony was generally supportive from education and business groups, though some witnesses favored norm-referenced testing while others emphasized criterion-referenced, TEKS-aligned assessments; one witness noted social studies assessments were restored in the bill. The hearing concluded with additional invited testimony and no final vote reported in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• level.
• level to address this problem that I just articulated with many of our students not being. grade level
• level and doing math on grade level.
• Is what's in front of us going to get more kids reading and doing math on grade level?
• With five years of disrupted accountability and only around half of students reading on grade level,

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We think of approaching grade level or meeting grade level.
• Kids, 53% of kids were reading on grade level in 2024.
• Grade level as opposed to the kids not meeting grade level.
• level. level, which is not the same as being on grade level, but we have a lower standard.
• Can you just tell me about overall grade level overall the grades Math is materially worse.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The reason there's a with a 12th grade and without a 12th grade is because if you have 12th grade, there's
• The grading scale for all letter grades shall be raised 10 points.
• but they may be on a second grade level.
• but they may be on a second grade level.
• . level. level.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• LEVEL K THROUGH TWO.
• LEVELS BUT THOSE STUDENTS WHO WERE NOT READING ON A GRADE LEVEL THAT THE TIME DURING THE SWITCH ARE
• WE ALSO HAVE NEW WORLDS PROGRAM FOR THOSE STUDENTS WHO ARE READING BELOW GRADE LEVEL.
• ALL OF THE RESOURCES GO AWAY AFTER TWO YEARS AND YOU HAVE A KID THAT WAS IN BEGAN AT GRADE LEVEL IN
• LEVEL.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So when you see 88% at ninth through twelfth grade, we know that it's happening at the high school level
• level.
• level.
• And it's that sixth-grade to eighth-grade mentality for families.
• I can respond in terms of that sixth-grade to eighth-grade age group.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Employment Subcommittee of the Permit Commission on Status of Persons with Disabilities met on April 27 and approved the prior meeting minutes before hearing a presentation from the Lawrence Partnership for Transition to Employment (LPTE). Presenters from UMass Boston’s Institute for Community Inclusion, the Arc of Greater Haverhill-Newburyport, Northeast, and Lawrence Public Schools described LPTE as a five-year grant focused on improving transition outcomes for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Lawrence through community partnerships, work groups, and family engagement. A major focus was a family survey designed to better understand barriers to transition planning and IEP participation. Presenters said the survey response rate increased sharply after Lawrence Public Schools helped distribute it, rising from about a dozen responses to more than 200. Survey findings showed common barriers such as scheduling conflicts, language access, childcare, transportation, and limited understanding of IEPs and transition planning. The data also suggested that many families expect college or employment outcomes for their children, but fewer reported access to pre-employment training, indicating a communication gap rather than a lack of services. Lawrence school staff explained that the district has a five-person transition team, bilingual resources, workshops, and a developing online transition hub, and that they are using the survey results to improve visibility and access to existing supports. Committee members discussed the need to start transition planning earlier, expand real-world work experiences, improve outreach to Latino families, and better connect students with college, trade, and employment pathways. Several members suggested partnerships with summer youth employment, volunteer programs, and college or alumni panels. The presenters said the grant ends in September, but the resource hub will continue through the Arc and they are exploring ways to sustain the consortium model. The meeting ended with thanks to the presenters, an update that committee members would meet with Seed on Massachusetts as a model employer, and notice that the next meeting would feature the Office of Veteran Affairs before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• level in third grade.
• level by third grade.
• In another, only 14% of the Hispanic students can read at grade level in third grade.
• and can give us information beyond grade-level proficiency.
• about seven grade levels.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education heard testimony on several bills centered on school accountability, receivership, graduation requirements, charter school access, community schools, school libraries, and student voting rights. Much of the discussion focused on the Thrive Act, S. 374, which would end state receivership and change the state’s accountability approach. Supporters, including educators, parents, advocacy groups, and students, argued that receivership has not improved outcomes in districts such as Lawrence, Holyoke, Southbridge, Boston, and the Dever, and that local communities should have more control, with greater emphasis on community schools, wraparound services, and broader measures of school quality. They also supported related bills on community schools and school library standards, and several witnesses backed a bill to expand student representative voting rights on school committees. Opponents of S. 374, especially charter school leaders, parents, students, and some education advocates, focused on Section 4 of the bill, which would change the charter school net school spending cap in the lowest-performing districts. They argued that the provision would reduce access to charter seats in communities where families are seeking more options, and that schools such as Roxbury Prep, Excel Academy, Brook, Veritas Prep, and Libertas Academy have produced strong results for students, including students of color, low-income students, and students with special needs. Several witnesses said the section would force schools to shrink or close and would remove opportunities for families in districts with long waitlists. Committee members questioned witnesses on both the effectiveness of receivership and the charter school cap language. Chair Lewis and Chair Gordon emphasized the need for a better accountability system and noted concerns about whether current measures, including MCAS-based designations, accurately reflect school quality. Some witnesses said they had discussed the possibility of removing Section 4 from the Thrive Act and suggested it might be addressed in separate charter reform legislation. No votes were taken during the hearing; testimony was received and the committee later closed testimony on S. 374 and several related bills before moving on to the student voting rights bill, S. 367.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's almost the same level in eighth grade. I don't see that there's any big change.
• And so when we're talking about at-risk kids, wouldn't anybody that is not up to grade level, and we
• Kids, wouldn't anybody that is not up to grade level, and we talked about not being able to evaluate,
• So when we get to the third grade level and we're not up to standards, up to the reading levels, we'll
• What's our graduation rate at that level, at your level? Mr.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's something that we need to learn in the sixth grade and the seventh grade and eighth grade and
• in the sixth grade and the seventh grade in the sixth grade and the seventh grade and<00:41:55.760
• means the eighth grade or the 11th grade means the eighth grade or the 11th grade I'm<01:29:34.480
• A public school student may not be assigned a grade level solely upon age or other factors.
• > this assigned a grade level solely upon this assigned a grade level solely upon this age<02:27:

Keywords: Education - Room 216, 22 January, 2026; 10:30 AM, 925, all

Summary: The committee took up several education-related bills. Senate Bill 2071 would allow school boards to vote on providing health insurance to board members and their dependents using local, not state, funds; it was advanced after Senator Brian objected that it could create an incentive for people to seek school board seats for the insurance benefit. Senate Bill 2072 would move the deadline for teacher supply cards earlier, from August to July, using EF funds, and it was reported. Senate Bill 2103 would require school boards to adopt policies banning or restricting student cell phone use during school and class time, and it was also reported. Senate Bill 21103 would remove a requirement that school counselors follow the National Association of School Counselors’ code of ethics and instead align them with the Mississippi teacher code of ethics; it passed without opposition. Senate Bill 2236 would authorize the use of LifeVac choking devices in schools, with the sponsor saying the devices are inexpensive and could be provided free to districts; it passed as well. The committee then spent most of its time on Senate Bill 2242, the Mississippi Math Act, which would create a statewide math improvement initiative within the Department of Education. The bill would deploy math instructional coaches, require K-5 universal math screeners three times a year, create individual math plans for students below benchmark, support algebra readiness, protect data under FERPA, and establish a fund for grants and other deposits. Senator Boyd said the bill is modeled on efforts in other states, especially Alabama, and is intended to build on Mississippi’s literacy reforms by focusing on support, intervention, and professional development rather than retention or punishment. Members raised concerns about cost, the proposed anti-lapsing language for the fund, and whether the bill should require high-quality instructional materials statewide rather than leaving curriculum choices to local districts. Senator Hopson estimated the program could cost about $3.5 million and suggested the anti-lapsing language might be removed or handled through appropriations. Senators Blunt, Hill, and Wiggins argued that the success of literacy reforms came from requiring standardized, high-quality instructional materials and accountability, not home rule alone. Senator Wiggins offered an amendment to require high-quality instructional materials for math statewide, and Senator Boyd said he was supportive of that as a friendly amendment. The discussion ended with the amendment still being worked through and the bill not yet finally disposed of in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• levels they operate.
• a grade because you don't have enough students in that grade?"
• or eighth grade or any elementary school level.
• In other words, that... ...beyond sixth grade or eighth grade or any elementary school level.
• My family's decision to pursue. grades, kindergarten, and grade two.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education held a hearing on two late-file bills: H. 4867, concerning school choice, and H. 4927, concerning access to applied behavior analysis (ABA). For H. 4867, testimony focused on a DESE interpretation of M.G.L. c. 76, §12B(k) that would require small elementary-only districts with school choice students to pay secondary tuition when those students continue into high school. Superintendents, school committee members, parents, teachers, and a representative argued this creates large fiscal shortfalls for rural districts such as Hancock, Warwick, Richmond, and Worthington, which do not operate high schools and already rely on tuition agreements for their own resident students. Witnesses said the current interpretation has led some districts to stop accepting school choice students, reducing class sizes and limiting educational opportunities; they urged an exemption or amendment so these districts could continue school choice without assuming high school tuition obligations for nonresident students. Committee members asked about the number of affected districts, how the arrangement worked before 2023, and whether alternative statutory language might solve the issue more broadly. Representative Barrett described the bill as a simple fix to an unenforced provision that had only recently been raised by DESE, and the hearing later included testimony from both district officials and families supporting the bill. The committee closed testimony on H. 4867 and H. 4927 and then adjourned. H. 4927 drew testimony from educators, an ABA provider, and a parent of a child with autism in support of protecting in-school ABA access. Witnesses said the bill would clarify that qualified ABA providers, including BCBAs and RBTs under supervision, may deliver services in schools while allowing districts to maintain neutral safety and operational rules. They argued that inconsistent access to ABA can undermine districts’ obligations under IDEA, including free appropriate public education and placement in the least restrictive environment, and that school-based ABA can reduce removals from class, improve student progress, and support families. A parent testified that her young son needs ABA to function in school and that promised supports had been delayed or not delivered, while another witness said the bill would help ensure accountability and consistent services for students with autism.