The Missouri chapter of the National Education Association says it wants a clarification bill for the law regarding student/teacher online communication to be introduced in special session. The NEA says it’s worked with bill sponsor Senator Jane Cunningham to start writing legislation that would make clearer the requirements under the act, which has come under fire by some teachers and the State Teachers Association.
NEA Spokeswoman DeeAnn Aull says the best way to make all parties happy is to ask the legislature to bring this bill up again in September.
The Governor has called a special session for September 6th. The clarification bill would further outline what kinds of provisions schools can put in their policies regarding teacher – student communication online.
The Governor’s Office has not said it would bring up the measure during the special session, but Missouri NEA Legislative Director Otto Fajen says the NEA hasn’t even asked yet.
Fajen says the NEA, the bill sponsor, Representative Chris Kelly, and potentially other education organizations are meeting today to craft a bill that would tighten the language of the law so it is easier to interpret for schools when writing policies about online communication. Under the law, which goes into effect next week, school districts must write a policy for teacher-student communication before January first. Fajen says its not uncommon for the Governor to add bills to the call for a special legislative session.
