This school year is quite different from last year’s, as we have seen a number of new laws passed and come into effect. One of these laws that has come to light and is regulated is Senate Bill 12. To simplify, the Bill was passed to reassure students’ parents and guardians about what is said and done within the school’s boundaries. This includes a parent’s/guardian’s consent and confirmation regarding any race or gender-based DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) considerations, as well as any routine focused on mental and physical health. This is all aimed at providing better parental participation throughout their children’s education and keeping them more involved and informed.
In compliance with the law, new boundaries are now set in stone and were put to action Sept. 1, such as the topic that teachers cannot directly ask or require students to write about their feelings. Counselor Cheryl Conner confirmed the boundaries within this new law.
“We can ask about their feelings, but we just can’t ask the student to write them down,” Conner said. “We can do verbal check-ins with them, but we can’t ask them to write about their feelings specifically. If we did that, we would need their parents’ permission.”
Hypothetically, if a situation were to arise in which a staff member asked their students to write about their emotions, these would be the first steps of protocol to be followed.
“If a teacher were to ask their student to write, and in the writing, it includes their feelings, and in that particular situation, the teacher would have to notify me,” Conner said. “Then, I would have to notify the parent to ask for permission to talk to the student about whatever it is they wrote about.”
The law affects small things, such as the assignment that several English teachers use called “State of the Student,” but it also has an outlook on the bigger picture of how certain students must feel towards this aspect.
“This could impact the comfort students may feel with their teachers,” English teacher Denise Fuller said. “Students may become a little more reserved and less open with their peers and teachers.”
Transforming from what the rules once were, the possibilities of a motive behind Senate Bill 12 passing through may be at hand. In doing so, it gives a glimpse of the perspective of parents and guardians and set foot in their shoes.
“My interpretation is that the motive behind everything that’s been passed is for parents to feel like they’re a part of their child’s education,” Conner said. “It’s a way for them to be a fly on the wall during the school day to ensure that everything’s OK with their student.”
With the extra boost of reassurance, now teachers move around their curriculum to follow the new guidelines that are among them.
“We’ve been able to navigate our curriculum without having too much impact from the [Senate] Bill,” Fuller said.
As this may take some time to get used to, students should not let this discourage them from opening up and verbally communicating with their teachers and counselors. That your feelings matter and are allowed to be shared.
“We’re all human,” Conner said. ”We have good days, we have bad days, we have all the feelings in the world. We’re going to keep doing what we need to do as educators, as teachers, to make sure the students are okay.”
Editor’s note: Any views and opinions shared in this article are the writer’s own and are in no way endorsed or supported by the District.
