Latest news with #HB235
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Push to create educator ‘responsibility to parents' draws backlash from teachers
House Bill 235 would update the state's educator code of conduct to require that teachers pledge a responsibility to parents — not just students. (Getty Images) To Nancy Biederman, proper teaching is about staying on the right side of the line. On one side are the topics and behavior appropriate for students; on the other, subject material that is overly personal, political, social, or religious. Teachers should remain on the first side, Biederman believes. The second should be the sole domain of a student's parents. And lawmakers should establish legislative safeguards to make sure the line is respected. 'Teachers are just stepping over the line and trying to become the parents of the children,' said Biederman, a New Boston resident and former elementary and middle school teacher, in an interview. 'And that's not their job.' That sentiment has driven a raft of school-related Republican legislation, such as the parental bill of rights, which passed the House, 212-161, in March. It's also inspired a less prominent bill. House Bill 235 would update the state's educator code of conduct to require that teachers pledge a responsibility to parents — not just students. Teachers found by the State Board of Education to have failed that responsibility could face disciplinary sanctions. Some, like Biederman, a strong advocate for the parental bill of rights, have cheered HB 235. 'I think it would definitely make teachers stop and think for a second before they discuss certain topics,' said Biederman. 'And I think it would put that line in the sand that seems to have disappeared, of where they are allowed to discuss and give opinions … on certain topics.' But the move has drawn fierce criticism from teachers, who say they already do maintain productive relationships with parents but that legislating those relationships would constrain their ability to do their job. 'I just think you could be abused,' said Mary Ann Cadwallader, a Hanover resident and former teacher, in an interview Tuesday. Under current law, the educator code of conduct requires that teachers and other educators maintain four responsibilities: to the education profession and educational professionals; to students; to the school community; and to the 'responsible and ethical use of technology as it relates to students, schools, and other educational professionals.' HB 235 would simply add the phrase 'and parents' to educators' responsibility to students. Rep. Rick Ladd, a Haverhill Republican and the chairman of the House Education Funding Committee, said it would solidify what should already be part of a teacher's job. 'Parents are involved in your schools,' Ladd, a former school administrator, said. '… It's important that we recognize, and I think by recognize in this code of ethics that parents or guardians need to be there.' The legislation comes as increasing parental involvement in schools has been a top priority for conservatives, amid accusations that teachers are usurping the role of families. House Bill 10, the parental bill of rights, would enumerate a number of rights of parents with respect to their school districts, including the right to direct their child's education or care, make health care decisions for their child, review school records, consent to any medical tests, and consent to any video recordings of their child. It would also obligate teachers and administrators to communicate and review curriculum with parents, HB 235 is a much simpler bill. But teachers' unions have warned it could still have a broad and negative impact in the classroom. 'There's a lot put on educators when it comes to all sorts of rules, regulations that you need to follow,' said Brian Hawkins, director of government relations for the National Education Association of New Hampshire, at a hearing on the bill in the House Education Policy and Administration Committee. 'And they just want to go in there and teach and educate.' Hawkins added there is 'no doubt' that partnerships between parents and teachers are important. But he said that complex issues and demands from parents are often better handled by school administrators, not individual teachers. If passed by the Senate and signed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte, it is not yet clear how HB 235 would be implemented. The bill itself is short; the exact requirements put into the educator code of conduct would be fleshed out by the State Board of Education and the Joint Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules after the bill's passage. Hawkins warned lawmakers that because the term 'responsibility' is not defined, the bill could give broad leeway to JLCAR to add expansive requirements for teachers. In written testimony to the House committees, other teachers expressed opposition to the idea of having a formal statutory responsibility to teachers. Some said it would be too high a time burden. Others said the bill would eliminate the potential for schools to act as a safe space for children who are struggling internally. 'I am a professional who treats all of my students with respect,' said Heather Fabbri, of Hampton Falls, who identified herself as a 29-year teacher. 'I fear this bill will open doors to parents who have an agenda about who does and does not deserve to feel safe within my classroom.' Cadwallader hasn't been teaching since 2001. But she says when she was a teacher, any issues with parents were dealt with head on, without the need for legislative mandates. 'Public education is very important for everyone and parents certainly have a role in that,' she said. 'There's teacher conferences for parents to talk. A parent who's really upset with what's happening can go and talk to the principal in the school.' To Cadwallader, the current climate can feel oppressive for teachers. 'I don't think the general motivation to be a teacher is to stay out of the reach of the law for Pete's sake. It's to attend to a child. It's to be the best teacher you can be, which means you have to get your coursework across to the student.' But Biederman says teachers can avoid that scrutiny as long as they stay in their professional lane, as she says she and her colleagues did before she retired from the profession 10 years ago. 'A teacher needs to respect a parent's right to bring their child up the way they want to bring their child up,' she said. 'And how dare you step over that line. As long as the child has their basic needs met, there is no reason for a teacher' to get involved.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama House bills would limit social media access for minors
A group of people holding cell phones. An Alabama House committee Wednesday approved legislation that would limit access to social media by minors. (Daniel de) A House committee heard opposition and support for two bills that would limit access to social media for minors at a public hearing on Wednesday. HB 235, sponsored by Rep. David Faulkner, R-Mountain Brook, bans children 16 and younger from owning a social media account. HB 276, sponsored by Rep. Ben Robbins, R-Sylacauga, would expand limitations and parental controls to 18-year-olds. Robbins said his initial intent was to pass the social media restrictions with his bill that put age restrictions and verification procedures for adult websites from last year's session. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'But I knew the tough nut to crack that social media would be, so I said, 'Take first one bite at it through pornography, and the next session, once that got passed, then go and work on the social media issue,'' Robbins said. Faulkner's bill bans anyone 16 years or younger from creating social media accounts. It also includes parental supervision of an account that a parent can make for a child. Currently, federal law sets the social media age limit to 12 years old, Faulkner said. 'So that if you went to a social media site, and if you were not the age of 16, you couldn't open that account,' Faulkner said. Amy Bos, director of state and federal affairs for NetChoice, opposed both bills, citing concerns over free speech and privacy. She said that all Alabamians would have to share official identification under the legislation to prove that they are not minors. 'While the bill intends to protect minors, it could create more harm by exposing them to security threats,' Bos told the House Child and Senior Advocacy Committee. 'And let's keep in mind this isn't just about kids. Adults, too, would have to show either government ID some sort of verifying who they say that they are.' Rep. Barbara Drummond, D-Mobile, was supportive of both bills, and expressed concern of cyberbullying and wanted to hold parents accountable for minors on social media. 'We see so much violence that is on social media, from bullying and so forth, and it can lead to so many other bad consequences for other innocent children,' Drummond said. Bos suggested that the Legislature focus more on improving online literacy rather than outright banning social media for minors and creating privacy and free speech issues. 'Rather than heavy handed mandates, we do recommend that Alabama focus on improving online literacy programs, as states like Florida and Virginia have done,' she said. 'Educating students and parents about how to safely use social media is a more effective approach than imposing age verification schemes that are likely to face legal challenges and put user privacy at risk.' Florida and Virginia have passed laws that require a social media literacy course be taught in schools. Robins said he is supportive of that, but his bill does not mandate the State Department of Education to create the course in order to maintain focus on core classes like reading and math. 'So I do agree that children need to learn it, because social media is a reality, and learning how to use LinkedIn and learning how to find jobs is the reality, but learning that maybe you shouldn't communicate with this adult online,' Robbins said. Part of Robbins' bill would prevent minors with social media from communicating with adult accounts they are not following. 'Parents would have full access to the account, and a minor cannot receive messages from an adult, so unless they are already friends with that person,' Robbins said. Another opponent, Knox Argo, requested that both bills exempt video games from the ban and make the definition of social media more clear. 'We want to exempt video games,' Argo said. 'Like all these statues that have been passed have done that, the definition in the Alabama bill is kind of vague.' Committee Chair Ginny Shaver, R-Leesburg, said the committee would not vote on the bills because of the public hearing, but did not say when the committee would bring them up again. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Parents react to proposed Alabama bill that would ban children from using social media
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — A newly introduced Alabama bill would limit access to social media for children 16 years old and younger. State Representative David Faulkner of Hoover introduced AL HB235 the bill on Feb. 6 to the House Committee on Children and Senior Advocacy. Former Mobile County Commissioner Stephen Nodine cleared to run for mayor If passed, the bill would require all social media platforms to implement an age verification process. According to HB235, any social media platform that lets a child create an account could be fined up to $50,000, which would be for taking part in reckless and deceptive practices. Parents who spoke with said it could help prevent internet crimes against children. One of them was Irene Helveston, a mother who supports the bill. Mobile County Commission awards contract for Cedar Point Pier improvements 'These children don't understand the risk, and then they get put into that world,' Helveston said regarding social media's impact on children. 'And no one's there to save them; there's no one there that's going to help them,' Helveston continued. 'And that's just the biggest issue of all is there's not enough policing of social media to let children on there.' Elizabeth Smith agreed as she is a mother of four and a teacher. Smith told News 5 that there needs to be more protection for children when it comes to social media. MAMGA Grand Marshal achieves life-long dream 'There's a lot of attacks that are coming for our children,' Smith said. 'Suicide rates, all of these things have a mental impact on our kids, and we need to speak up for them.' 'We need to be the voice to protect our children and keep them safe,' she continued. If HB235 passed, all changes would take effect on Jan. 1, 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama house proposes bill banning children from using social media
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — A bill has been introduced in the Alabama House of Representatives that would prevent children 16 and younger from creating social media accounts. HB235 would require social media platforms to implement an age verification process. The bill was sponsored by Rep. David Faulkner and co-sponsored by 3 other representatives. The requirements would take effect Jan. 1, 2026. The Attorney General of Alabama would be responsible for enforcing the act, with up to a $50,000 penalty on social media sites for each violation. Alabama Senator Katie Britt has proposed her own legislation at the federal level banning children 13 and under from social media. Titled the 'Kids Off Social Media Act,' the bill would also prevent social media companies from using algorithms to recommend content to children 17 and under. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
