Vermont H 615: An act relating to notices of meetings of a unified union school district’s board

Bill Text

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VT LEG #385944 v.1
H.615 1
Introduced by Representatives Headrick of Burlington, Cole of Hartford, 2
Greer of Bennington, McCann of Montpelier, and Pezzo of 3
Colchester 4
Referred to Committee on 5
Date: 6
Subject: Education; harassment, hazing, and bullying; Agency of Education; 7
curriculum; professional development 8
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to (1) require the 9
Agency of Education to develop and issue guidance and training for school 10
districts for distinguishing between protected political expression and unlawful 11
harassment of protected classes; (2) add members to the Harassment, Hazing, 12
and Bullying Prevention Advisory Council; and (3) require the Agency to 13
develop a freedom of expression curriculum for public elementary and 14
secondary schools that provides students with age-appropriate foundational 15
knowledge of the protections offered by the First Amendment to the U.S. 16
Constitution and Chapter I, Article 13 of the Vermont Constitution. 17
An act relating to protecting political expression and promoting civil rights 18
in education 19

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VT LEG #385944 v.1
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 1
Sec. 1. FINDINGS 2
The General Assembly finds that: 3
(1) Vermont has a compelling interest in protecting its residents, 4
especially students, educators, and public employees, from both antisemitism 5
and censorship. 6
(2) Antisemitism is a real and growing threat that must be clearly 7
defined to ensure accountability for bias-motivated acts, not conflated with 8
lawful expression. 9
(3) The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits government 10
actors from favoring or disfavoring particular political viewpoints. 11
(4) In recent years, laws or policies in other states and institutions have 12
led to the suppression of lawful advocacy, particularly in support of Palestinian 13
human rights. 14
(5) Jewish, Muslim, Arab, and other communities in Vermont have 15
expressed concern about the use of vague or overly broad antisemitism 16
definitions that silence critical political discourse. 17
(6) Vermont reaffirms that educational institutions must be both safe 18
and intellectually open environments where civil rights and free speech 19
coexist. 20

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VT LEG #385944 v.1
Sec. 2. 16 V.S.A. § 570 is amended to read: 1
§ 570. HARASSMENT, HAZING, AND BULLYING PREVENTION 2
POLICIES 3
(a) State policy. It is the policy of the State of Vermont that all Vermont 4
educational institutions provide safe, orderly, civil, and positive learning 5
environments. Harassment, hazing, and bullying have no place and will not be 6
tolerated in Vermont schools. No Vermont student should feel threatened or 7
be discriminated against while enrolled in a Vermont school. 8
(b) Prevention policies. Each school board shall develop, adopt, ensure the 9
enforcement of, and make available in the manner described under subdivision 10
563(1) of this title harassment, hazing, and bullying prevention policies that 11
shall be at least as stringent as model policies developed by the Secretary. Any 12
school board that fails to adopt one or more of these policies shall be presumed 13
to have adopted the most current model policy or policies published by the 14
Secretary. 15
(c) Notice. Annually, prior to the commencement of curricular and 16
cocurricular activities, the school board shall provide notice of the policy and 17
procedures developed under this subchapter to students, custodial parents or 18
guardians of students, and staff members, including reference to the 19
consequences of misbehavior contained in the plan required by section 1161a 20
of this title. Notice to students shall be in age-appropriate language and should 21

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VT LEG #385944 v.1
include examples of harassment, hazing, and bullying. At a minimum, this 1
notice shall appear in any publication that sets forth the comprehensive rules, 2
procedures, and standards of conduct for the school. The school board shall 3
use its discretion in developing and initiating age-appropriate programs to 4
inform students about the substance of the policy and procedures in order to 5
help prevent harassment, hazing, and bullying. School boards are encouraged 6
to foster opportunities for conversations between and among students 7
regarding tolerance and respect. 8
(d) Duties of the Secretary. The Secretary shall: 9
(1) develop Develop and, from time to time, update model harassment, 10
hazing, and bullying prevention policies; and. 11
(2) In consultation with the Advisory Council and members of affected 12
communities, develop and issue guidance and training for school districts for 13
distinguishing between protected political expression and unlawful harassment 14
of protected classes to ensure that civil rights enforcement aligns