Shelly Hettleman voted Yea (Concurrence Vote) on this Legislation.
Title: Establishes Virtual Education Requirements for Public Schools
Title: Establishes Virtual Education Requirements for Public Schools
Vote to concur with house amendments and pass a bill that establishes virtual education requirements for public schools, and allows for virtual education days for severe weather conditions under certain circumstances.
Requires that a teacher preparation program include training in the skills and techniques needed in order to effectively teach in a virtual learning environment, including the use of online curriculum (Sec. 1).
Requires that the county’s published plan includes (Sec. 1):
A plan to ensure attendance will be taken for all students and teachers for each virtual education day;
A plan to provide make up work opportunities for students who missed virtual education days when they return to in-person school;
A plan to ensure all staff and students, including those with disabilities, experiencing homelessness, and English language learners have the necessary devices, like wifi, at home for virtual learning days; and
Specific strategies for continued implementation of individualized education programs during virtual learning days, including specially designed instruction, supplementary aids and services, and accommodations.
Authorizes the county superintendent to provide virtual education only if (Sec. 1):
The local system has used all incorporated days in their calendar for school closures and severe weather;
The county board has authorized the superintendent to provide virtual education; and
The county superintendent determines that the severe weather is likely to prevent normal attendance at the public school.
Authorizes a county board to establish one virtual school for the elementary, middle, and high school grade bands (Sec. 1).
Authorizes the county board to admit students on a lottery basis if they receive more applications than there are spaces available (Sec. 1).
Requires that the county include demographic diversity and other criteria as part of the lottery system and that the student body of a virtual school reflect the socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, cultural, and gender diversity of the public school system in the county (Sec. 1).
Requires that a virtual school provide each enrolled student the following services (Sec. 1):
Extracurricular activities at the public school the student would otherwise be required to attend in person;
To the extent practicable, participation in athletics and athletic teams at the public school the student would otherwise be required to attend in person;
Wraparound, food, and nutrition services; and
Health care services equivalent to those available to students that receive in-person instruction at the public schools in the county.
Requires that after collaboration with local school systems, the Department establishes the following standards (Sec. 1):
Student attendance requirement and reporting;
Student engagement and conduct;
Program quality metrics;
Tracking and use of student data; and
Data reporting requirements.
Requires that teachers or educational support personal meet the following requirements (Sec. 1):
Relevant professional certification;
Be an employee of the county or a collaborating county;
Be subject to the collective bargaining agreement of the jurisdiction; and
Have access to professional development.
Specifies that a virtual learning plan should be updated every 2 years and should include a plan for (Sec. 1):
Staffing and personnel;
Student instruction;
Student assessment and learning support;
Social and emotional learning;
Community communication;
Technology;
Nutritional and health services; and
Return to in-person instruction.
Requires that each school have a behavioral health plan to help students struggling (Sec. 1).
Requires that the principle have staff members conduct regular once a week wellness check-in (Sec. 1).
Requires that the board, on August 15, 2023 and each year after, collect data on the following topics from each school that participated in a virtual education plan during the previous school year and publish it to their website (Sec. 1):
Virtual education;
In-person instruction;
Hybrid instruction;
Student attendance; and
Student engagement.
Requires that before July 1, 2023, the Department convene a study group to study and identify (Sec. 4):
The appropriate next steps in virtual education and digital learning;
Document existing resources for virtual schools;
Review models of virtual schools in other states and countries;
Explore alternative models and recommending improvements for Maryland virtual schools; and
Infrastructure necessary for effective collaboration between multiple counties operating a single virtual school.
Title: Establishes Virtual Education Requirements for Public Schools
Vote to amend and pass a bill that establishes virtual education requirements for public schools, and allows for virtual education days for severe weather conditions under certain circumstances.
Requires that a teacher preparation program include training in the skills and techniques needed in order to effectively teach in a virtual learning environment, including the use of online curriculum (Sec. 1).
Requires that the county’s published plan includes (Sec. 1):
A plan to ensure attendance will be taken for all students and teachers for each virtual education day;
A plan to provide make up work opportunities for students who missed virtual education days when they return to in-person school;
A plan to ensure all staff and students, including those with disabilities, experiencing homelessness, and English language learners have the necessary devices, like wifi, at home for virtual learning days; and
Specific strategies for continued implementation of individualized education programs during virtual learning days, including specially designed instruction, supplementary aids and services, and accommodations.
Authorizes the county superintendent to provide virtual education only if (Sec. 1):
The local system has used all incorporated days in their calendar for school closures and severe weather;
The county board has authorized the superintendent to provide virtual education; and
The county superintendent determines that the severe weather is likely to prevent normal attendance at the public school.
Authorizes a county board to establish one virtual school for the elementary, middle, and high school grade bands (Sec. 1).
Authorizes the county board to admit students on a lottery basis if they receive more applications than there are spaces available (Sec. 1).
Requires that the county include demographic diversity and other criteria as part of the lottery system and that the student body of a virtual school reflect the socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, cultural, and gender diversity of the public school system in the county (Sec. 1).
Requires that a virtual school provide each enrolled student the following services (Sec. 1):
Extracurricular activities at the public school the student would otherwise be required to attend in person;
To the extent practicable, participation in athletics and athletic teams at the public school the student would otherwise be required to attend in person;
Wraparound, food, and nutrition services; and
Health care services equivalent to those available to students that receive in-person instruction at the public schools in the county.
Requires that after collaboration with local school systems, the Department establishes the following standards (Sec. 1):
Student attendance requirement and reporting;
Student engagement and conduct;
Program quality metrics;
Tracking and use of student data; and
Data reporting requirements.
Requires that teachers or educational support personal meet the following requirements (Sec. 1):
Relevant professional certification;
Be an employee of the county or a collaborating county;
Be subject to the collective bargaining agreement of the jurisdiction; and
Have access to professional development.
Specifies that a virtual learning plan should be updated every 2 years and should include a plan for (Sec. 1):
Staffing and personnel;
Student instruction;
Student assessment and learning support;
Social and emotional learning;
Community communication;
Technology;
Nutritional and health services; and
Return to in-person instruction.
Requires that each school have a behavioral health plan to help students struggling (Sec. 1).
Requires that the principle have staff members conduct regular once a week wellness check-in (Sec. 1).
Requires that the board, on August 15, 2023 and each year after, collect data on the following topics from each school that participated in a virtual education plan during the previous school year and publish it to their website (Sec. 1):
Virtual education;
In-person instruction;
Hybrid instruction;
Student attendance; and
Student engagement.
Requires that before July 1, 2023, the Department convene a study group to study and identify (Sec. 4):
The appropriate next steps in virtual education and digital learning;
Document existing resources for virtual schools;
Review models of virtual schools in other states and countries;
Explore alternative models and recommending improvements for Maryland virtual schools; and
Infrastructure necessary for effective collaboration between multiple counties operating a single virtual school.
Title: Establishes Virtual Education Requirements for Public Schools
Title: Establishes Virtual Education Requirements for Public Schools