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Neighbors,
It seems our seasons are reversed. Seventy degrees in winter, cold and snow forecast for spring. Life in Minnesota! Enjoy our full spectrum of seasons the next few days.
Yesterday, I presented the Education Policy bill in the Education Policy Committee, which I chair. The measure builds on last year’s historic education budget by prioritizing policies to improve Minnesota students’ school experience, while also making sure the state is measuring and holding schools accountable for meaningful academic outcomes. The measure was approved in committee. You can watch the meeting here.
Some highlights:
- Requires schools to adopt a policy on student cell phone use so school buildings have a consistent approach to help students focus on learning.
- Eliminates unnecessary paperwork so special education teachers can spend more time working with their students and ensures these teachers have the training they need to meet those student’s needs.
- Requires schools to provide mental health education for students in grades 4-12 (starting in the 26-27 school year) and creates a process for students to access their mental health services through telehealth without needing to leave their school buildings.
- Gives school boards more flexibility in determining their schedules by allowing them to implement a four-day school week.
- Improves state oversight and accountability for charter schools.
- Adds a measure of whether students are on-track for graduation at the end of 9th grade so schools can intervene early and give students support before they get too far behind.
- Establishes clear guidelines for what is protected and unprotected speech in school newspapers to ensure students can engage in spirited debate without fear of censorship for crossing an otherwise subjective line.
- Expands access to PSEO and Concurrent Enrollment courses so more students can earn college credits for free while in high school.
The Capitol Mall is a beautiful state amenity for all Minnesotans to enjoy. The Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board is offering Minnesotans a chance to weigh in on the future of the mall’s design. You can click here to view the preliminary Capitol Mall Design Framework and Phase 1 recommendation. Take the survey here. The timeline to take the survey has been extended to April 15.
As we near the May 20th adjournment, I am still interested to hear about your priorities this session. Please take a few minutes to fill out my 2024 legislative survey. Thank you for making your voice heard!
Veterans are invited to participate in the annual day at the Capitol on Wednesday, April 17. See the information below on how you can talk to legislators about your priorities. I hope to see you at the Capitol on April 17!
The Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services offers nonpartisan recaps of high-profile bills, committee hearings, and floor sessions with their Session Daily publication. Subscribe to receive these here. You can track bills of interest with the MyBills feature and for general House of Representatives’ information, click on the website.
Please continue to reach out with any input, ideas, or feedback about the issues important to you. I value hearing from you, so call or email me any time. You can also connect with me on Facebook here. It is an honor to represent you at the State Capitol.
Sincerely,
Laurie Pryor
State Representative
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