Senator Julia Coleman (R-Waconia) expressed concern on Monday following the adoption of the Education Policy Conference Committee Report, stating it fails to address the urgent needs of Minnesota’s students and educators: 

“This bill draws focus away from success in the classroom and further burdens school districts with more mandates,” Sen. Coleman said. “We had an opportunity to put trust in our local districts, teachers, and parents and provide them flexibility to use state dollars as their students need. Instead, more than a dozen new mandates are being placed on schools that are desperate for assistance.” 

Several Republican provisions previously passed off the Senate floor were removed in conference committee including:  

·         Protecting teachers and school staff against retaliation for reporting or discussing school safety concerns 

·         Allowing school support personnel aid to be used to maintain existing positions 

 

Additionally, other provisions removed after being passed by the Senate previously include: 

·         Encouraging schools educate students on healthy aging and dementia 

·         Abuse prevention education is optional rather than mandatory 

 

The conference committee report was adopted on a vote of 35-31.