LB653 Takes Spotlight at Unicameral

LB 653 dominated discussion Thursday at the Legislature. 

LB 653 seeks to strengthen access to option enrollment for students with Individual
Education Plans (IEPs) by:
• Funding upfront the cost of IEP option students who require substantially more funding
than the average per-pupil cost
• Requires the percentage of IEP students denied option enrollment to be proportional to
the total percent of option enrollment denials
• Requires a district to not deny option enrollment to a student if their sibling is already an
option student within that district
• Improves reporting requirements on the Department of Education's Option Enrollment
Rejection Report.

The debate centered around allowing school districts to suspend students, regardless of their age, adjusting an existing law prohibiting expulsion from second grade and below.  

Local Senators Dan Lonowski, Fred Meyer, and Dan Quick all spoke on the bill and subsequent amendments.

Senators are taking the Presidents Day Weekend off. The bill is the first item on the agenda on Tuesday.