STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1101-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: S.B. No. 2475

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2475, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is, in part, to:

(1) Establish a harm to students registry for all prekindergarten through grade twelve educational institutions within the State, to be maintained by the Department of Education;

(2) Require educational institutions to report to the Department of Education instances of acts by school employees, contractors, or volunteers that demonstrate harm to students; and

(3) Require the surrender of teaching licenses of certain individuals who resign or retire during an investigation into allegations against the individual of sexual assault or sexual harassment.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education; State Public Charter School Commission; Executive Office on Early Learning; Early Learning Board; Hawaiʻi Teacher Standards Board; Hawaii Association of Independent Schools; Hawaii Council of Private Schools; Kamehameha Schools; Punahou School; and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General; Department of Human Services; and Office of Information Practices.

Your Committee finds that establishing a harm to students registry and requiring educational institutions to report to the Department of Education instances of acts by school employees, contractors, or volunteers that demonstrate harm to students will streamline the sharing of vital information between schools in Hawaii about individuals who have perpetuated harm against children and help to ensure that the State's students will be educated in safe and healthy learning environments.

Your Committee finds that H.B. No. 2034, H.D. 3 (Regular Session of 2024), a substantially similar measure, was previously passed by the House.

Your Committee has amended this measure by deleting its contents and inserting the contents of H.B. No. 2034, H.D. 3, a measure that:

(1) Creates a registry for all preschools and K-12 educational institutions within the State that contains information on school employees, contractors, or volunteers for whom, as a result of an investigation, a final finding has been issued that the individual has inflicted harm on a student;

(2) Appropriates funds to establish an unspecified number of full-time equivalent positions within the Department of Education to manage the registry and carry out the requirements of this measure; and

(3) Takes effect on July 1, 3000.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2475, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2475, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

____________________________

JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair