Families First

Parents are the first teachers of their children and they, not politicians and government bureaucrats, have the ultimate responsibility for their children’s education. Republicans will ensure parents are front and center when it comes to decisions about their family’s education and healthcare. We will make sure their voices are heard in developing new government policies and decisions that will not place undue stress on families.

Increasing Educational Resources

• Require SDE to develop an online k-12 school limited to children who are unable to attend school in-person. (HB 5268)
• Provide each caucus leader with an appointment to the State Board of Education which is currently made up of 14 gubernatorial appointed members. Leadership appointments would balance the board to ensure that the interests of our districts are represented when developing education policies. (HB 5274)
• Provide parental choice by eliminating the complex formula that underfunds education with Money Follows the Child.
• Reserve a portion of the Roberta Willis Scholarship fund for students interested in attending post-secondary vocational schools. (HB 5439)
• Prioritize state scholarships to address school and early education teacher shortages. (HB 5440)
• Apply new certification requirements for early childhood education to new teachers only and exempt current early childhood educators from having to be recertified. (HB 5269)
• Require the State Department of Education to perform a “scope of review” on any new cirriculum through a public hearing process prior to implementing that new curriculum. (HB 5274)
• Establish a tax credit for donations made to nonprofit entities that provide access and opportunity scholarships. (HB 5424)
• Require impact statements and reporting on all policies affecting children in public schools and childcare settings any time a health emergency or alert is declared.

Family Health and Well-Being

• Expand to the whole state a very successful program currently in use by Troops D and E that provides advanced de-escalation tactics and training to those that receive calls related to mental health, overdoses, and substance abuse related incidents. (HB 5364)
• Increase accessibility to and affordability of mental health services by allowing in-state students who are enrolled in a doctoral program of psychology, under supervision, to provide community and telehealth counseling opportunities to mental health patients who are in need of such services. (HB 5477)
• Address our opioid and fentanyl epidemic by funding the Navigator Program to facilitate engagement between treatment providers and increase support capacity, increasing criminal penalties for dealers, and establishing a Chief Drug Policy Officer to coordinate efforts to fight opioid use across a multitude of state agencies. (HB 5313)
• Allow police to take into protective custody a person who is suffering from a drug overdose and incapacitated and allow them to transfer such person to a medical treatment facility or hospital so the get the help and treatment they need. (HB 5498)
• Require parental consent for the provision of children’s mental health services. (HB 5354)