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H 257

An Act relative to public accommodations for individuals with verbal communication impairments

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Vanna Howard and 1 co-sponsor

Idaho HB 257 adds admission priority for public charter schools for students with at least one active-duty or active guard/reserve parent, supporting military families.

Accompanied a study order, see H4883
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Bill Summary · H 257

Summary: Idaho House Bill 257 (H 257)

What the bill does

H 257 amends Idaho Code to revise the requirements for operating a public charter school and adds a new admissions preference for military families. The core change is to establish admission priority for students whose family includes at least one parent or legal guardian on active duty or active guard and reserve status (as defined in 10 U.S.C. 101). The fiscal note asserts no net revenue or expenditure impact.

Purpose and intent

  • Recognize and support military families facing relocations and PCS orders by giving their children priority access to charter schools.
  • Maintain existing charter school expectations around nondiscrimination, nonsectarian programs, and compliance with federal special education requirements (IDEA).

Key provisions (as amended in 33-5206)

  1. Nonsectarian operation and nondiscrimination

    • Charter schools must be nonsectarian, not charge tuition, not levy taxes or bonds, and not discriminate in admission or employment on protected bases.

  2. Admissions and residence

    • Admission is not determined by the student’s or parent’s place of residence within the district.

  3. Employment and attendance

    • District boards cannot compel district employees to work at a charter school or require district students to attend a charter school.

  4. Staffing and administration

    • Charter school administrators may hold either a traditional public school certificate or a charter school administrator certificate.
    • Administrator certificate requirements include: bachelor’s degree; criminal history check; course work in the statewide framework for teacher evaluations (minimum 3 semester credits with a lab); letter of support from a charter holder; and relevant experience or credentials (e.g., years of charter administration, advanced degree with admin experience, or mentoring arrangement).

  5. Certification duration and oversight

    • Charter administrator certificates are valid for five years and renewable; subject to oversight by the Professional Standards Commission; potential revocation for grounds consistent with §33-1208.

  6. Teachers and collective bargaining

    • Certified teachers in charter schools are considered public school teachers; charter school staff form a separate bargaining unit.

  7. Charter-specific teaching certificates

    • Provisions for charter-school-specific teaching certificates, including requirements, mentoring, and approval processes by the State Board of Education.

  8. Educational services providers

    • Charters may contract with external providers under specific safeguards (board composition limits, conflicts of interest disclosures, retained accountability, contract termination for underperformance, and asset management). Contracts must ensure separate facility and management agreements and independent legal review.

Note: The document references a provision related to virtual schools about financial risk, but the text is truncated in the excerpt provided.

Who would be affected

  • Public charter schools and their governing boards
  • Charter school administrators and teachers (including potential charter-specific certificates)
  • School districts and their employees (in relation to staffing and attendance rules)
  • Families with active-duty or active guard/reserve service (priority admission eligibility)
  • Educational services providers contracted by charter schools

Fiscal and timeline aspects

  • Fiscal note: No anticipated change in state or local revenue or expenditures.
  • Legislative actions (selected timeline):
    • Introduced: February 17, 2025
    • February 17–19, 2025: Read first/second readings and printing; referred to Education Committee
    • February 18–19, 2025: Status updates indicate U.C. (unclear) with Education Committee
    • Ongoing: Status shows “U.C. to be returned to Education Committee” for further consideration

Effective date

  • The bill includes an emergency declaration, indicating immediate effectiveness upon enactment, subject to final passage and the specified effective date in the enacted version.

If you’d like, I can extract specific language changes line-by-line or compare against current law to show exact deltas.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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