Chair Peisch opens the hearing; looks like mostly reps here on the committee
(this is going in the order posted, hearing each bill at a time, skipping any bills on which no one has signed up to testify)
Rep. O'Connell offering testimony with a panel H 3872 on seizure management plans
directs DESE to adopt guidelines on seizure management plans for districts
looking for consistency across the state in how districts handle it
parent speaking of her son's experience, suffers from grand mal seizures
another parent: not all students are receiving their whole educational experience due to lack of plans
within each school he attended, there's a different policy
Epilepsy Foundation: seizures dealt with in a safe and appropriate manner
provides consistent training across districts; can be done online at home, through Centers of Disease Control; or can be done in school
one page seizure action plan filled out by child's neurologist and their parents
provides for what happens if there isn't a nurse in the building specific to the child
Mike Canavan, AFT-MA in favor of H 424, bringing collaboratives under professional teacher status requirements
otherwise are employees at will
Rep Tucker: reconcile union protection v professional status?
Canavan: have tried to negotiate due process but haven't gotten that everywhere
also in favor of H582, to put an AFT and an MTA rep on the Board of Ed
S287 on loan repayment for teachers; currently do not have an appropriation for it, bill extends it
Rep. Gentile on H468, on school start times, recognizing recommendation of American Society of Pediatrics
public health issue that schools are in the best position to deal with
recognize complication of issue
Commonwealth "must act together and with a full understanding of these hurdles"
bill sets up special commission "to begin to confront this"
H. 458 panel speaking in favor
teachers in institutional settings
teachers in such settings have no way of knowing which kids are coming
achieving highly qualified status can be cost prohibitive, have to take all kinds of test
bill would allow an option under federal legislation to achieve competency through HOUSE, through professional development plans
recently retired teacher; taught in Department of Youth Services
had a professional license to start with, encountered many through change in career
difficult for them to achieve professional status
"was teaching history, English, reading"; had to know all the modern history, civics, all American history; same with reading
H.3911would require SEDPAC rep on school committees
Rep Arciero: roughly 20% of students had a wide range of disabilities
currently SECPACs operate as advisory
"need some form of representation"
an ex officio non-voting seat elected independently and annually from SEPAC
"will have a more impactly" influence on school committees
Westford School Committee member says laws currently are unevenly implemented
"the special education voice was not always represented in policy decisions"
most special ed parents don't have what it takes to run for office
SEPAC "is designed to be their voice but too often isn't being heard"
modeled after section of MGL that provides for student rep
another parent: MGL provides for creation of SEPAC to act in an advisory capacity
lists what Westford's SEPAC do over the course of the year
"when we ask for a role or a voice at the table, we are often met with 'if we do it for SEPAC, we have to do it for everyone'"
"please give SEPAC's across the Commonwealth a seat at the table as the law requires"
another member: "special education issues do not exist in a vaccuum because special education kids do not exist in a vaccuum"
another: "what an unbelievaable struggle it was" to get the support we needed
Arciero back up for H396 "greater security is clearly warranted"
seeks to allow retired police officers to file the position of school resource officers
currently barred by their pension plan (if I am understanding this correctly)
Rep. Vargas
H 584 and 585 both on school nutrition
Haverhill just implemented Community Eligibility
"should close the door to meal shaming"
bills "take steps to reduce unpaid meal debt" and also ban meal shaming
districts required to adopt Community Eligibility at 60% unless it would impact cost
at 40-60%, would allow SC vote
"goal is to ahve a conversation that every single student in their district is fed"
greater number of grandparents raising children
"unsurprisingly, students who are hungry are unable to focus"
he's accompanied by a bunch of state reps
Black and Latino Caucus has made this as a priority
meal debt policies that exclude students from extracurriculars or from eating
"this is 2019. These policies punish students for something that is out of their control."
"poor children already face many disparities"
Senator Lewis: "it has puzzled me that there are other districts that have met that criteria and have not done so"
Malden (in his district) has not done so
was going to reduce their Title I funding; most of the time, this is not the case; see here
Peisch asks for a list of districts that either allow meal shaming or allow districts to collect debt from collection agencies
H426 mandating 20 minutes of recess, preventing it from being taken away; Rep. Decker speaking in favor
"I'll be honest; I don't think that 20 minutes is enough"
AAC in the classroom H.403
augmented and alternative communication in the classroom
you might have seen this Twitter thread on AAC over the weekend
children needing ability to communication in classroom settingsI just had such an affirming experience. On my 8hr intl flight back from a conference, I sat next to a father/son. In broken English, the father began to apologize/warn me that his ~10 yr-old son had severe nonverbal autism, and that this would like be a difficult journey. 1/— Rachel R. Romeo (@RachelRRomeo) August 28, 2019
interpreters in school settings H417/S347
IEP meetings tend to be fast-paced
parent who does not speak English herself
"it is important to have trained interpreters in our schools"
Rep. Domb on Amherst's meal debt policy, which she holds up as a model
also in favor of bill on recess and on school start times change
Bertha-Elena Rojas speaking for MABE in favor of the interpretation bill
"deeply concerned that there has been no legislation" on this
particularly "true informed consent" from parents
almost 22% of MA student homes, English is not the first language
Boston City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George
in favor of trauma informed schools, based on her own experience as a teacher and a parent
"we need to do more for our children, particularly those who are most vulnerable"
nurses and mental health specialists need to be required, not negotiable
back to certified interpreters: needed not only for IEP meetings, but disciplinary meetings and any other meetings
"I remember how frustrating it was for [my parents] to come to school" and they stopped coming to meetings
"it is not sufficient for staff to be merely bilingual"
must be trained in confidentiality and ethics of interpretation
students from non primary English speaking families have disproportionate negative impacts
interpreter: school interpreters fall within community interpreter community
skills needed are widely varied; imperative that they be highly skilled in both interpreter and language skills
also need to address work of translators, which is not the same
Sen Cyr speaking in support of the school nutrition bills, concern of children being raised by grandparents due to opioid epidemic
back to interpretation: Manager of translation for the Framingham Public Schools
wait, this is a position Framingham has?
thanks for attention to this issue
factors of school budgets, needs of interpreting work
makes it difficult for districts to develop a large enough pool of interpreters
needs of interpreters sensitive to their needs and those of they serve
Framingham has three major languages, but many more spoken
most live locally and do it part time
most are local native speakers of the target language; finding them is difficult
worry about excessive requirements will create barriers for otherwise qualified individuals
"unfortunately many parents were unable to attend today" as it's the first week of school or they had to work or be home for children
"or due to their immigration status"
Migration Policy Institute estimates about 99,000 parents of at least one young child in Massachusetts
lack of translation "disempowers these parents" in advocating for their children
"a true issue of education equity"
eliminates stress on staff who may be called on to interpret in places it is beyond their needs
ongoing communication between families, school, and community for success of students
Sen. Lovely on S. 312 and S. 313 on sexual exploitation of children
"teachers see children all day every year" and are able to see that something is wrong
"when my own daughter was six years old is when I finally reported it"
H.403/S.318 on augmented communication, reflects on panel
too often students have the devices but teachers have not received the training
"let's make sure that teachers have the training they need when they get their license"
I think this is H.402/S.258 on social emotional learning
running through stats on student mental health
Bridgewater State dean: an overwhelming number of students come to schools having experienced traumatic events
"making sure all students have the skills they need to change and grown and thrive"
teachers need training in such skills
another: "more and more students coming to our classrooms with an increased level of anxiety"
we provide ALICE training in many of schools; this concerns me also
Director, Social-emotional Learning Alliance of Massachusetts
Sen. Lewis asks why, if this is important and everyone agrees, why don't they just do it? Why the need for a mandate?
"there's no consistency" is the answer; need to consistently reach all students
H.420 on school counselors: pilot in Gateway cities of 1 to 250 ratio and adhere to standards
...is anyone going to fund this?
testimony in favor of importance of counselors
Testimony on H.577 on trauma informed schools
advocating for ratios of councilors to students
"we can and must have more wraparound services"
"failing to invest in councilors is failing to invest in the future of our Commonwealth"
"critical time of social and emotional health"
S.260 on after and out-of-school programming
access to after school program "levels the playing field and helps close the achievement gap"
"finding these programs can be hard"
Six Flags is here testifying in favor of requiring schools not start until after Labor Day
this isn't a bill; they're connecting it to the commission on starting school times
Chair Peisch says the year is 180 days; June is often already a struggle
"we end up going into June in any event" (yes, we would)
H.454 on mandatory recess time
Playworks: increasing access to physical activity
"importance to learning and a well-behaved classroom"
only 40% of districts nationally have a recess policy
"opportunity to play every day"
S.330 on "physical and social recess"
Lisa Guisbond: abundant evidence confirming the abundant need for recess
(citing this 2013 piece)
Chair Peisch asks if the study had specific Massachusetts data
MTA panel up now: bills "ensure that all Massachusetts students get an ensured recess period every day"
schools forced to account for every minute of every day
"recess helps develop essential life skills"
"childhood should just be joyful...and we rob our children as part of their childhood" when we don't have this
"one of the investments our students deserve is time in their social-emotional well-being with time for recess"
Peisch: asks for study of kindergartens in Massachusetts that was referenced
H.426: also recess
testimony coming in from retired teachers about the shifts in recess time allotted over the course of their careers
much of the testimony here speaking of all that is learned during recess
question from her grandson: "'How's that recess thing going, Grammy?' I hope to bring back a favorable report."
Note from Chair Peisch that a recess bill was favorably reported out last session, but further action was not taken
H.3872 on seizure management
"I want to emphasize the importance of this bill for someone like me"
"at age 30, I have learned to cope with epilepsy, and in many ways, it has made me a better person"
"emotional and social damage...there is a stigma that comes along with epilepsy"
 |
| This panel has service dogs. |
another: "unfortunately, part of the plan included a staff member following me around for the day"
"when I had a seizure in class, most adults didn't know what to do...this is why it is important to train the teachers in what to do"
"Epilepsy is not contagious; why is it like having the plague?"
seizures became so bad, became depressed
another: "when I got to high school, it seemed the school had no idea how to handle me"
put her in a wheelchair and pulled from mainstream classes
was pulled from lunch "too much of a disturbance for the other students"
eventually left school, now studying to get her GED
will help prevent happening to other students
another: side effects of medication can be terrible
sometimes took a month to recover from a seizure
"will open up the doors to understanding, compassion"
Coordinator at the Worcester County Food Bank
notes that many struggling families are only eligible for reduced lunch
also districts that haven't done community eligibility
"no child should be punished for meal debt in front of their peers or used as a pawn to be made to pay up"
there's a review here of the bills and what they'd do
school nutrition director testifying that the school nutrition staff shouldn't have the responsibility of making decisions on the spot
"take the pressure off the school service staff"
another: concerned about the wide variation in approaches taken by districts
some of this seems to be about districts not having polices online
and another round of the policies they can find online
Rep Tucker asks how big a problem this is
citation of a $10,000 debt of a single family
fee-based activity barred
checking eligibility more often
it's telling to me that no one is referencing school adminsitration
Sen Lewis: what about Malden and Title I?
districts can still get that information for qualification in grants
Rep. Vargas cites the WAY in which districts can get their Title I counts up even if they go direct cert
Greater Boston Food Bank: 1 in 9 children may go to bed hungry in Massachusetts each day
"we must make sure our written policies reflect and uphold our values"
making sure more children are fed despite their economic circumstances
another: League of Women's Voters advocating for support of school nutrition bills
hungry children do not learn; bullied children do not learn
food "should be as vital to education as books are"
(one of those things the Commonwealth pays for)
now going back to bills for which there is more testimony
S. 312 Mass Citizens for Children
survey that only 13% of teachers would report a case of child sexual abuse even if it were reported to them
many cited not having confidence in their ability to identify it
better training and prevention policies
"a comprehensive approach sustained over time" with a focus on prevention
mother telling the personal story of her daughter having an affair with her Spanish teacher and leaving her family at 16; her family without recourse
attorney: "schools are have the largest concentration of children" thus a focus of perpetrators
another panel: Child Advocate for the Commonwealth: 93% of children who are sexually abused are abused by people that they know; 38% by family members
"there is nothing more important for me, who sits and monitors all of the thousands of children...what happens in schools is critically important"
the way in which perpetrators go after children has changed
training thus needs to be updated
create conditions that can create the conditions to prevent the trauma
create model policies
new ways of children being recruited "to do things that will harm them for the rest of their lives"
another: "you wouldn't be surprised to find a drunk in a bar, so why are we surprised" to find child abusers in schools
can't pretend that isn't happening
working hard on task force with recommendations
"they're not only grooming children; they're grooming us. It's always everybody's favorite coach, it's everybody's favorite teacher"
"Why should schools be mandated? All you have to do is look at Cohasset...they cared more about the reputation of their community and their school system than they did for the child"
student at Wheaton College (I think?) "Massachusetts has a chance to stand up for children"
who recounts her own abuse by a teacher
"in my case, a grown man harmed me over years" and when she came forward at the age of 20, she was told it was legal
"I found out that the law was not on my side"
"school is a place that should be safe for all children"
another: tells her story of being sexual assaulted when she was in school in Connecticut who turned up in Northampton
when her attorney followed up to find out if she'd been reported by the private CT school, they threatened to sue
hired a lawyer to report teacher to protective services
reported to all applicable agencies including DESE, at which point the teacher resigned
due to current personnel laws, the district could not tell another district that she'd been under investigation
and that is a wrap!
"when I had a seizure in class, most adults didn't know what to do...this is why it is important to train the teachers in what to do"
"Epilepsy is not contagious; why is it like having the plague?"
seizures became so bad, became depressed
another: "when I got to high school, it seemed the school had no idea how to handle me"
put her in a wheelchair and pulled from mainstream classes
was pulled from lunch "too much of a disturbance for the other students"
eventually left school, now studying to get her GED
will help prevent happening to other students
another: side effects of medication can be terrible
sometimes took a month to recover from a seizure
"will open up the doors to understanding, compassion"
Coordinator at the Worcester County Food Bank
notes that many struggling families are only eligible for reduced lunch
also districts that haven't done community eligibility
"no child should be punished for meal debt in front of their peers or used as a pawn to be made to pay up"
there's a review here of the bills and what they'd do
school nutrition director testifying that the school nutrition staff shouldn't have the responsibility of making decisions on the spot
"take the pressure off the school service staff"
another: concerned about the wide variation in approaches taken by districts
some of this seems to be about districts not having polices online
and another round of the policies they can find online
Rep Tucker asks how big a problem this is
citation of a $10,000 debt of a single family
fee-based activity barred
checking eligibility more often
it's telling to me that no one is referencing school adminsitration
Sen Lewis: what about Malden and Title I?
districts can still get that information for qualification in grants
Rep. Vargas cites the WAY in which districts can get their Title I counts up even if they go direct cert
Greater Boston Food Bank: 1 in 9 children may go to bed hungry in Massachusetts each day
"we must make sure our written policies reflect and uphold our values"
making sure more children are fed despite their economic circumstances
another: League of Women's Voters advocating for support of school nutrition bills
hungry children do not learn; bullied children do not learn
food "should be as vital to education as books are"
(one of those things the Commonwealth pays for)
now going back to bills for which there is more testimony
S. 312 Mass Citizens for Children
survey that only 13% of teachers would report a case of child sexual abuse even if it were reported to them
many cited not having confidence in their ability to identify it
better training and prevention policies
"a comprehensive approach sustained over time" with a focus on prevention
mother telling the personal story of her daughter having an affair with her Spanish teacher and leaving her family at 16; her family without recourse
attorney: "schools are have the largest concentration of children" thus a focus of perpetrators
another panel: Child Advocate for the Commonwealth: 93% of children who are sexually abused are abused by people that they know; 38% by family members
"there is nothing more important for me, who sits and monitors all of the thousands of children...what happens in schools is critically important"
the way in which perpetrators go after children has changed
training thus needs to be updated
create conditions that can create the conditions to prevent the trauma
create model policies
new ways of children being recruited "to do things that will harm them for the rest of their lives"
another: "you wouldn't be surprised to find a drunk in a bar, so why are we surprised" to find child abusers in schools
can't pretend that isn't happening
working hard on task force with recommendations
"they're not only grooming children; they're grooming us. It's always everybody's favorite coach, it's everybody's favorite teacher"
"Why should schools be mandated? All you have to do is look at Cohasset...they cared more about the reputation of their community and their school system than they did for the child"
student at Wheaton College (I think?) "Massachusetts has a chance to stand up for children"
who recounts her own abuse by a teacher
"in my case, a grown man harmed me over years" and when she came forward at the age of 20, she was told it was legal
"I found out that the law was not on my side"
"school is a place that should be safe for all children"
another: tells her story of being sexual assaulted when she was in school in Connecticut who turned up in Northampton
when her attorney followed up to find out if she'd been reported by the private CT school, they threatened to sue
hired a lawyer to report teacher to protective services
reported to all applicable agencies including DESE, at which point the teacher resigned
due to current personnel laws, the district could not tell another district that she'd been under investigation
and that is a wrap!
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