From the ECS State Policy Database Public Involvement

This database is made possible by your state's fiscal support of the Education Commission of the States (ECS). Most entries are legislative, although rules/regulations and executive orders that make substantive changes are included. Every effort is made to collect the latest available version of policies; in some instances, recent changes might not be reflected. For expediency purposes minimal attention has been paid to style (capitalization, punctuation) and format. Please cite use of the database as: Education Commission of the States (ECS) State Policy Database, retrieved [date]. State Status/Date Level Summary FL Signed into law 05/2011 P-12 Postsec. Repeals Various Obsolete Education Provisions H.B. 7087 Repeals provisions relating to programs that were never implemented or are no longer funded. The programs are: Digital Divide Council and the associated Pilot Project for Discounted Computers and Internet Access for Low-Income Students; the Institute on Urban ... More... RI Signed into law 03/2010 P-12 Community Forums to Describe Education Funding Formula H.R. 7895 Urges the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education to hold community forums throughout the state to describe the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE)'s education funding formula, explaining its components, and providing details about its metho... More... IL Signed into law 08/2009 P-12 Community Schools H.B. 684 Defines "community school" as a school that partners with its community to provide enrichment and life skill opportunities for students, parents and community members. Subject to an appropriation or the availability of funding for such purposes, requires the s... More... NC Signed into law 08/2009 P-12 Volunteers To Support Academic Success in School S.B. 1028 Directs local boards of education to encourage community academic booster organizations to support student academic achievement; Requires local boards to develop policies approving use of volunteer organizations and individual volunteers; Requires local boards... More... OH Signed into law 07/2009 P-12 Survey of Community Space H.B. 1 - Section 385.40 Requires the executive director of the Ohio School Facilities Commission to survey classroom facilities projects financed by the commission and compile descriptions of how spaces within those facilities are used for activities, services and programs shared bet... More... NV Signed into law 05/2009 P-12 Public Reporting A.B. 348 Requires the board of trustees of each school district to prepare a notice of information identifying all the advanced placement courses, honors courses, international baccalaureate courses, special education services, gifted and talented programs, charter sch... More... KY Signed into law 03/2009 P-12 Community Education H.B. 198 Relates to community education; deletes obsolete language; clarifies that state grant funds are to be used for local districts to employ one full-time community education director, and to provide professional development training to all state-funded community ... More... NJ Signed into law 03/2008 P-12 Public Comment at Boards of Education Meetings A.B. 690 Amends the Open Public Meetings Act. Requires boards of education to set aside a portion of every board meeting for public comment. http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2008/Bills/A1000/690_I1.PDF... More... UT Signed into law 03/2008 P-12 Use of School Buildings as Civic Centers H.B. 332 Requires all public school buildings and grounds to be made available as civic centers to district residents for supervised recreational activities and meetings. Requires local boards to adopt policies for the use of these civic centers. Requires a local board... More... IL Signed into law 08/2007 P-12 Community Organization Use of School Facilities During Non-School Hours S.B. 538 Encourages school boards to allow community organizations to use school facilities during non-school hours. Provides that if a school board allows a community organization to use school facilities during non-school hours, the board must adopt a formal policy g... More... NY Vetoed 08/2007 P-12 Veterans Speaking about Military Experiences A.B. 6574 Directs the director of the division of veterans affairs to develop a program providing for veteran educational speakers in classrooms of public and private elementary and secondary schools; requires distribution of informational pamphlet to districts describi... More... NY Signed into law 04/2007 P-12 Charter Schools S.B. 2107 -- Part D-2 Provides that an application for a charter school cannot be approved unless the charter entity finds that in a school district where the total enrollment of resident students attending charter schools in the base year is greater than 5% of the total public sch... More... UT Signed into law 03/2007 P-12 Local School Board Public Hearing Requirements S.B. 133 Requires a school board to hold a public hearing prior to closing a school or changing the boundaries of a school, and establishes notice requirements for the public hearing. http://le.utah.gov/~2007/bills/sbillenr/sb0133.htm... More... CA Signed into law 09/2004 P-12 Public Hearing on Textbooks S.B. 550 (multiple provisions) SEC. 18: Requires the governing board of every district to hold a public hearing and make a determination as to whether each pupil in each school in the district has sufficient textbooks or instructional materials in each subject that are consistent with the c... More... HI Signed into law 07/2004 P-12 Education Reform H.B. 2002 The education reform in this Act shall be known as the "Reinventing Education Act of 2004." The provisions include (1) establishing a weighted student formula; (2) providing additional information technology; (3) empowering principals through a Hawaii principa... More... IL Signed into law 08/2003 P-12 School Code Waivers S.B. 206 Amends provisions of the School Code relating to waivers and modifications of School Code mandates. Requires the local public hearing on a district's waiver or modification application to be held on a day other than a regular school board meeting day, requires... More... HI Line-item various appropriations veto 07/2003 P-12 Helping Hands Hawaii S.B. 58 Establishes the Hawaii 3R's School Repair and Maintenance Fund;appropriates funds for a grant to Hawaii 3R's for the school repair and maintenance fund; appropriates funds for a position with the Department of Accounting and General Services to coordinate the ... More... NJ Signed into law 12/2002 P-12 Notification of Enrollment Eligibility A.B. 2698 Requires state commissioner, upon application for a charter school, to notify the members of the legislature, school superintendents, mayors and governing bodies of all legislative districts, school districts or municipalities in which there are students who w... More... MD Signed into law 05/2002 P-12 Prince George's County Governance and Administration H.B. 949 Establishes appointed New Prince George's County Board of Education and requirements for membership. Provides for compensation of board members. Allows for nonvoting student member. Establishes Chief Executive Officer as executive officer, secretary, and treas... More... MD Signed into law 05/2002 P-12 Baltimore School Board and CEO Requirements, District Bonding, Baltimore Principal Development Program, Environmental Hazards H.B. 853 Increases maximum of aggregate principal amount of bonds outstanding that Baltimore district may hold from $25 million to $75 million. Require Baltimore board and CEO to ensure increased community involvement and outreach in support of the city's public school... More... LA Signed into law 06/2001 P-12 Public Comment at Meetings H.B. 15 Adds the requirement that every public body provide an opportunity for public comment at meetings, subject to reasonable rules and restrictions adopted by the public body; specifies that public comment at school board meetings which mandates that public commen... More... VA Signed into law 05/2001 P-12 Public Engagement in Standards of Learning H.B. 2777 Directs the Board of Education, prior to adopting or revising Standards of Learning resource guides, to conduct public hearings; states that prior to conducting any such hearings, the Board shall give written notice by mail of the date, time, and place of the ... More... CA Signed into law 08/2000 Postsec. Open Meetings At Cal State A.B. 1857 Enacts the Gloria Romero Open Meetings Act of 2000, which would generally make various specific provisions of the open meeting laws similarly applicable to meetings and other proceedings of the legislative bodies, as defined, of student body organizations of t... More... FL Signed into law 06/2000 P-12 Postsec. Community/Faith Based Cooperation S.B. 406 Creates Community and Faith-based Organizations initiative within Institute on Urban Policy and Commerce at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University; provides for initiative to promote community development through partnerships with community and faith-... More... WV Signed into law 03/2000 P-12 Grievance Procedures H.B. 4785 This legislation expands the reporting requirement for the Education Employee's Grievance Board. The information in the board's quarterly reports should now include: number of grievances filed, number of grievances that were granted, and number that were deni... More...