An updated graduation requirement would help grow “a citizenry capable of self-government,” an Idaho Department of Education official said Tuesday.

Greg Wilson, state superintendent Debbie Critchfield’s chief of staff, walked lawmakers through a series of proposed changes to graduation requirements.

One of them, a digital literacy class, would go into effect in 2028.

“We want to teach responsible online behavior,” said Wilson, who called digital literacy a “foundational” skill that meets a workforce demand.

The digital literacy requirement would force a tradeoff: The state would drop a required high school speech class.

Speech classes have been something of a mixed bag. Since the state has no content standards for speech, classes vary widely from district to district, Wilson said. And some districts simply offer a class through the Idaho Digital Learning Academy.

Districts and charters would still be able to keep their speech and communications classes, Wilson said. The changed graduation requirements would only set a state minimum.

The changes will have to go through the House and Senate education committees. And at least one lawmaker hinted at some possible pushback. Rep. Steve Tanner, R-Nampa, said he has been receiving emails supporting the speech course requirement.

The state hasn’t changed its graduation requirements in more than a decade. Critchfield’s proposed changes — including a “future readiness project” that would replace the required senior project — designed to meet workplace needs, and reflect the changing pathways that are open to today’s high school graduates, Wilson said.

House Education took no votes on rules Tuesday, and probably won’t take them up again this week. Instead, the committee will spend the rest of the week looking at new bills from lawmakers, said Rep. Douglas Pickett, R-Oakley, the committee’s chairman.

New bill would send state funds to self-directed learners

Sen. Dave Lent on Tuesday introduced a bill to reimburse self-directed learners for educational activities outside of public school classrooms. 

Self-directed learning allows public school students to develop, in partnership with a school district, an independent learning plan that involves activities outside the classroom. The new bill would allow parents or guardians to seek reimbursement for costs associated with self-directed learning. 

Under the bill, reimbursements would be up to 65% of the state funds allocated to the district for that student. Lent, R-Idaho Falls, brought the proposal on behalf of former Sen. Steve Thayn, an Emmett Republican. 

“He listed an example where there was an outstanding student in math and the parents didn’t have resources, the district didn’t have resources to accommodate that student,” Lent said. “So the student would use this funding to go out and get accelerated educational materials and maybe even a tutor.”

Sen. Janie Ward-Engelking was skeptical. A Democrat from Boise, Ward-Engelking said she supports self-directed learning, but the state already has a program helping students cover costs outside the classroom — Empowering Parents. 

“This sounds like a voucher program to me,” she said. “It’s taking state, public funds and paying parents to teach their children at home, and I have a real problem with it.”

Lent, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, responded that the money would go to the parents. Traditional school vouchers subsidize private schools, and state law defines self-directed learners as public school students. 

“They would use it however they would want to use it,” Lent said. “I like the ability to draw-in and engage parents.”

The bill would have no fiscal impact to the state, according to its statement of purpose. Public school districts and charter schools already receive per-pupil funding for self-directed learners, regardless of attendance. 

Senate Education voted to introduce the bill, and it could return for a public hearing at a future date. 

Bill barring mask mandates introduced

Legislation to bar school districts from mandating face masks to prevent disease reemerged Tuesday. 

The House passed an identical proposal last year, but it didn’t get a hearing in the Senate. The new bill is sponsored by Sen. Brian Lenney, R-Nampa, and Rep. Rob Beiswenger, R-Horseshoe Bend. 

“One thing we learned from COVID, lots of government overreach and overreaction, so we’re trying to put some guardrails back in place,” Beiswenger told the House State Affairs Committee, which voted to introduce the bill. 

The bill would apply to public schools as well as city, county and state governments and their various agencies, including public health districts. All would be prohibited from requiring masks “for the purpose of preventing or slowing the spread of a contagious or infectious disease,”  the bill says. 

The mandate prohibition would not apply to jobs where masks are “an integral and compulsory safety component,” the bill says. 

The proposal could return for a public hearing in the coming days or weeks.

Higher ed contracting bill resurfaces

A bill designed to help universities compete for state agency contracts made a repeat appearance Tuesday.

The bill would require state agencies to check with all four of the state’s four-year schools, to gauge their interest in a contract. If more than one college or university is interested, the agency would be required to accept “the best offer based on cost and other relevant criteria.”

The idea is to help the University of Idaho and Idaho State University compete for contracts that have often gone to Boise State University, said Rep. Rick Cheatum, R-Pocatello, the bill’s sponsor.

The Senate passed a similar bill last year, but it stalled in the House.

The House Commerce and Human Resources Committee introduced the bill, setting the stage for a full hearing in the future.

Committee advances State Board, charter commission appointments

Without discussion, the Senate Education Committee advanced two gubernatorial appointments Tuesday — Shawn Keough’s reappointment to the State Board of Education and Wally Hedrick’s appointment to the Idaho Public Charter School Commission.

Keough’s appointment would run through 2029 and Kedrick’s through May 2027.

Both appointments go to the Senate for a final vote.