SB1041, sponsored by John Kavanagh (R-3), would allow school board candidates to use Arizona’s electronic signature portal, E-Qual, to gather signatures. Scheduled for House Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections Committee, Wednesday. SUPPORT.
SB1255, sponsored by Shawnna Bolick (R-2), would require each school district and individual public school to post on its website information on students’ race, color, national origin, sex, disability, and age that is meant for the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. Schools would also have to complete a newly created survey from the Arizona Department of Education on bullying, fighting, harassment and other school safety issues, which ADE would post on their website. Public schools are already subject to many laws covering discrimination and bullying, making this an excessive overreach. Meanwhile, bills to expand these protections to kids at ESA voucher-funded schools are going unheard. See SB1369, 2024. Scheduled for House Education Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.
HB2018, sponsored by Matt Gress (R-4), blurs the lines between public and private education by allowing private and for-profit universities in Arizona to provide taxpayer-funded financial assistance to students in teacher training programs on the same terms as those at Arizona’s three state universities, and increases funding for the program by $10 million to accommodate the private, for-profit universities. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee. OPPOSE.
HB2022, sponsored by Selina Bliss (R-1), would allow K-12 public and private schools to authorize employees to carry firearms on school grounds. The school would have to notify law enforcement of how many (but not which) employees are carrying, ensure the employees have a certification from an ADE-approved list of training programs, and keep their names confidential, including from parents at the school. The bill also gives these employees immunity from any liability if they are "acting in good faith during active threat events." Arizona's Republican state lawmakers have long tried to force guns into schools. Scheduled for Senate Judiciary & Elections Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
HB2062, sponsored by Lisa Fink (R-27), is a copy of a bill vetoed last year which would remove any reference to gender in Arizona law and replace it with “sex,” defined as the male or female label assigned to someone at birth based on their physical and reproductive characteristics. This narrow, inflexible and unscientific definition of biological sex would eliminate any legal recognition of transgender people and raise their risk of experiencing violence (which is already much higher than average). Last year's bill was pushed by the evangelical Christian lobbyist group Center for Arizona Policy. Scheduled for Senate Government Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
HB2113, sponsored by Nick Kupper (R-25), would ban the display of certain flags in Arizona schools, such as LGBTQ+ Pride and Black Lives Matter flags. Critics say the ban will cause BIPOC and LGBTQ+ students to feel uncomfortable or unsafe in school simply for being who they are. The bill is written so broadly, it apparently bans everything from flags of favorite sports teams in locker rooms to international flags in language classrooms. The House's nonpartisan attorneys also warn the bill may violate First Amendment free speech protections. Scheduled for Senate Government Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
HB2375, sponsored by Pamela Carter (R-4), would require school districts to begin special education evaluations within 15 days of a parent's written request, or provide written notice of refusal, if the request is filed between May 1 and September 1 (much of which is during summer break). This requirement, which is already in State Board of Education rule, places a burden on schools which are already overwhelmed with the volume of expensive requests. Codifying these demands will pull services away from students with existing IEPs whose needs are met by the same employees who evaluate students. Passed the House 2/17 on party lines. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
HCR2013, sponsored by Alexander Kolodin (R-3), would restrict early ballot dropoffs to the Friday before Election Day, and would require early voters to reconfirm their address each election cycle. Like other elections "reforms" moving this year, the bill also forces principals to allow their schools to be used as polling places, creating potential issues relating to child safety and available space. No external entity knows better for local schools than their own staff; state lawmakers should not be mandating this decision for them. As a legislative referral, this would bypass the governor’s veto to appear on our 2026 ballots. Passed the full House on party lines 2/17. Scheduled for Senate Judiciary & Elections Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
