Teacher preparation - best practices - teacher mentor grant program - license endorsement - teacher preparation program requirements - appropriation. The act directs the department of higher education and the department of education (departments) to work with the deans of the schools of education to review, research, and identify best practices in teacher preparation. By January 1, 2020, the departments must jointly adopt guidelines to assist educator preparation programs in adopting and implementing the best practices. The departments must also jointly prepare a report concerning the best practices, the guidelines, and regulatory and statutory recommendations to ensure that the policies and criteria for approving educator preparation programs align with the best practices. The departments must submit the report to the Colorado commission on higher education, the state board of education, and the education committees of the general assembly. By March 1, 2020, the educator preparation programs must each submit a report to the departments demonstrating how the program will implement the best practices over the following 3 years. The act creates the teacher mentor grant program in the department of higher education to provide money to school districts, boards of cooperative services, and charter schools that partner with educator preparation programs to provide training and stipends for teachers who serve as mentors for teacher candidates participating in clinical practice. The act specifies requirements that a partnership's teacher mentor program must meet to receive a grant, including paying the mentor teacher a stipend. The act directs the departments to work with interested parties to identify best practice standards and guidelines for teacher mentoring and requires the department of higher education to adopt the standards and guidelines by January 1, 2020. Beginning in the 2020-21 budget year, the department of higher education must annually prepare a report concerning implementation of the teacher mentor grant program and submit the report to the Colorado commission on higher education, the state board of education, the department of education, and the education committees of the general assembly. The act relocates with nonsubstantive changes the existing collaborative educator preparation grant program and the "Rural Colorado Grow Your Own Educator Act", which provides grants for teaching fellowship programs. The act directs the department of education to collaborate with the department of higher education to create a mentor teacher endorsement for teachers who hold master certificates and provide mentoring and oversight for teacher candidates. The act allows a teacher to use service as a mentor teacher as an approved professional development activity for license renewal. Before passage of the act, the statute specified the requirements that an educator preparation program must meet to be approved. The act adds 2 requirements: An educator preparation program must include instruction in the science of reading and must include at least one full, continuous school year of clinical practice. For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $1,217,787 from the general fund to the department of higher education to implement the teacher mentor grant program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Financing for K-12 public schools - transfer to the state education fund - rural school funding - tier B special education funding - ninth grade success grant program - health and wellness through comprehensive physical education grant program - appropriation. The act increases the statewide base per pupil funding for the 2019-20 budget year by $182.76 to account for inflation, for a new statewide base per pupil funding of $6,951.53. The act also sets the minimum district total program funding for the 2019-20 budget year. The district total program funding reflects a $100 million reduction in the dollar amount of the budget stabilization factor over the prior budget year. In addition, the act: Amends the professional development and student support program (program) for English language learners and educators who work with English language learners to distribute money appropriated for the program's services and educator professional development activities proportionately, based on the level of English language proficiency of the students served by the program; For the 2019-20 budget year, distributes $20 million on a per pupil basis to large rural school districts and small rural school districts, including district charter schools and each institute charter school whose accounting district is a large or small rural school district. Large rural school districts share 55% of the appropriation, and small rural school districts share 45% of the appropriation. The act bases the distribution on a school district's funded pupil count for the 2018-19 budget year. The act specifies the intended uses of the money and requires each rural district that receives money to report to the department of education concerning the use of the money. Increases the amount of tier B special education funding by $22 million and allows the amount to be appropriated from the state education fund or the general fund; Transfers $40,326,896 from the general fund to the state education fund; Creates the ninth grade success grant program in the department of education to provide funding to local education providers and charter schools to implement a ninth grade success grant program. Grant recipients must use the money to implement a ninth grade success program that includes elements set forth in the act, including creating a cross-disciplinary success team of teachers and support staff, which includes mental health professionals or social workers. Creates the health and wellness through comprehensive quality physical education instruction pilot program in the department of education that awards 3-year pilot program grants to schools or school districts to implement comprehensive quality physical education instruction. The act specifies the necessary components of a the comprehensive quality physical education instruction. The department of education shall contract with a qualified evaluator to conduct a program evaluation of the pilot program. For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, the act appropriates: $22 million from the general fund to the department of education for tier B special education programs; In addition to funding appropriated through the annual general appropriation act, $7,633,721 and $2,509,623 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of education for the state share of district total program funding; $20 million from the general fund to the department of education for rural school funding; $800,000 from the general fund to the department of education for the ninth grade success grant program; $125,495 from the state education fund to the department of education to fund hold-harmless kindergarten; and $1,100,000 from the marijuana tax cash fund to the department of education for the health and wellness through comprehensive quality physical education instruction pilot program.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
School lunch - free and reduced price school lunch - appropriation. The act clarifies that all students in sixth through eighth grade participating in the federal reduced price school lunch program are eligible for the existing child nutrition school lunch protection program (program), and extends the grades of eligibility for the program to students through the twelfth grade. For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, $463,729 is appropriated to the department of education from the general fund for the implementation of the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Colorado student leaders institute - extension - appropriation. The act extends the Colorado student leaders institute to June 30, 2024. For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, $218,825 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of higher education for the implementation of the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Colorado K-5 social and emotional heath act - pilot program - appropriation. The act creates the "Colorado K-5 Social and Emotional Health Act" (health act). Subject to available appropriations, the health act requires the department of education (department) to select up to 10 pilot schools (pilot school) to participate in a pilot program that ensures that a school mental health professional, as defined in the health act, is dedicated to each of grades kindergarten through fifth grade, with a ratio of mental health professionals to students of approximately one per 250 students. To the extent possible, the school mental health professional shall follow the same students through each grade. The general assembly shall appropriate the resources necessary for the pilot school to hire or contract with the additional school mental health professionals. The department shall select pilot schools that meet the characteristics outlined in the health act, including high poverty, ethnic diversity, and a large concentration of students in the foster care system. Among other responsibilities consistent with the mental health professional's license, the school mental health professional shall provide needed services to students and their families in the pilot school, including providing services and supports to students with learning disabilities, identifying food insecurities, providing resources to develop and improve the social and emotional health of students, and helping eligible students and their families access public benefits. Services must be provided at school and during school hours, as appropriate. The health act requires the department to employ or contract with a pilot program coordinator to oversee the implementation of the pilot program across the pilot schools. The pilot program begins operation during the 2020-21 school year and repeals in July 2023. The department shall contract with a professional program evaluator (evaluator) to conduct a preliminary evaluation in 2022 and a final evaluation before the repeal of the pilot program. The evaluator shall establish the method for the collection and monitoring of the pilot schools' data throughout the pilot program. The evaluator shall evaluate the effectiveness of services provided by the pilot program on the academic, mental, and physical health and well-being of the student cohorts within the scope of the pilot program. The health act authorizes the use of marijuana tax cash fund money and gifts, grants, or donations to fund the pilot program. For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $43,114 and 0.4 FTE from the marijuana tax cash fund to the department of education to implement the health act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Advanced courses - automatic enrollment grant program - appropriation. The John W. Buckner automatic enrollment in advanced courses grant program (grant program)is established in the department of education (department) to provide funding for local education providers that automatically enroll certain students in advanced courses. The department must annually notify local education providers of the grant program. In order to be eligible for the grant program, a local education provider must automatically enroll students who are in ninth grade or higher in an advanced course in a subject related to one in which the student demonstrated proficiency on the prior year's statewide assessment, or in an advanced course based on any other measure, applied to all enrolled students, that demonstrates the student's ability to succeed in the advanced course. Local education providers are encouraged to automatically enroll eligible fourth- through eighth-grade students in advanced courses as well. Local education providers must permit parents to remove their children from automatically enrolled classes and may permit parents to exempt their children from any automatic enrollment. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Minor victims of human trafficking - immunity - affirmative defense report - post-enactment review. The act clarifies definitions in the "Colorado Children's Code" concerning victims of human trafficking of a minor for involuntary servitude and for sexual servitude. The act creates immunity for a violation of a prostitution-related offense if probable cause exists to believe that a minor was a victim of either human trafficking of a minor for involuntary servitude or for sexual servitude. The act establishes an affirmative defense for all criminal violations, except class 1 felonies, if a minor proves that he or she was: A victim of human trafficking of a minor for involuntary servitude or sexual servitude; and Forced or coerced into engaging in the criminal acts. The act also requires that, if a law enforcement officer encounters a minor and there is probable cause to believe that the minor was a victim of human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude, the officer shall report the suspected violation to the county department of human or social services or the child abuse hotline. The act requires the legislative services agencies of the general assembly to conduct a review of the implementation of the act 5 years after May 6, 2019. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Health care - required head trauma guidelines for organized school athletic activities - physical therapists may authorize youth athletes' return to play. Current law states that if a youth athlete is removed from play because a coach suspects the youth athlete has sustained a concussion in a game, competition, or practice, the coach or other designated personnel shall not permit the youth athlete to return to play or participate in any supervised team activities involving physical exertion until the youth athlete is evaluated by a health care provider and receives written clearance to return to play from the health care provider. The act adds licensed physical therapists with training in pediatric neurology or concussion evaluation and management to the definition of "health care provider" for this purpose.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
County, municipal, and political subdivision officers' and employees' retirement systems - employer withdrawal from system - current employees who are peace officers. For a local government that has adopted a plan or system of retirement benefits for its elected or appointed officers and for its employees and that maintains an association for the purchase, establishment, or procurement of a retirement plan or system (association), a new mechanism for certain employers to withdraw from its participation in the association is created. The board of county commissioners may, after an association has been provided an opportunity to present information to the board of county commissioners regarding the advantages or disadvantages of withdrawal from the association, initiate the withdrawal of current employees who are peace officers from its participation in and contributions to a defined contribution plan offered by an association for the purpose of joining a retirement plan offered by the fire and police pension association. For such a withdrawal, the approval requirement to withdraw is 55% of all current employees who are peace officers proposed to be withdrawn from participation in a defined contribution plan offered by the association. If the withdrawal from the defined contribution plan offered by an association is approved, a current employee who is a peace officer may elect to remain an active member of the defined contribution plan. A current employee who is peace officer is required to notify the association and the board of county commissioners whether he or she will remain in the defined contribution plan or become part of the defined benefit plan administered by the fire and police pension association. If a current employee who is a peace officer does not provide such notice, the current employee will remain in the defined contribution plan. A peace officer who is hired on or after the effective date of the retirement plan offered by the fire and police pension association will be enrolled in the retirement plan offered by the fire and police pension association. A board of county commissioners may use the new withdrawal provision once every 4 years. A board of county commissioners may also use the existing withdrawal provision to initiate the withdrawal of current employees who are peace officers from its participation in a defined contribution plan. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Sex crimes - unlawful electronic sexual communication - minors. The act creates the crime of unlawful electronic sexual communication. The act prohibits a person from knowingly importuning, inviting, or enticing through communication via a computer network or system, telephone network, or data network or by a text message or instant message a person whom the actor knows or believes to be 15 years of age or older but less than18 years of age and at least 4 years younger than the actor, and the actor committing the offense is one in a position of trust with respect to that person, to: Expose or touch the person's own or another person's intimate parts while communicating with the actor via a computer network or system, telephone network, or data network or by a text message or instant message; or Observe the actor's intimate parts via a computer network or system, telephone network, or data network or by a text message or instant message. A violation of this provision is a class 6 felony. The act prohibits a person from knowingly communicating over a computer or computer network, telephone network, or data network or by a text message or instant message to a person the actor knows or believes to be 15 years of age or older but less than 18 years of age and at least 4 years younger than the actor and, in that communication or in any subsequent communication, describes explicit sexual conduct and, in connection with that description, makes a statement persuading or inviting the person to meet the actor for any purpose, and the actor committing the offense is one in a position of trust with respect to that person. A violation of this provision is a class 6 felony, but it is a class 5 felony if committed with the intent to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexual exploitation or sexual contact. The act require a person who commits unlawful electronic sexual communication to undergo sex offender treatment and register as a sex offender, and the defendant is subject to the sex offense against children procedures. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Health facilities - health care providers - adverse health care incidents - protected communications with patients. The act creates the "Colorado Candor Act" (Act), which: Establishes a process for open communication between a patient and a health care provider or health facility after an adverse health care incident; and Provides that communications under the Act are privileged and confidential, are inadmissible as evidence in any subsequent proceedings arising directly out of the adverse health care incident, and are not subject to discovery, subpoena, or other means of legal compulsion for release.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
The bill directs the Colorado commission on criminal and juvenile justice to study using juvenile justice services and systems for adults 18 through 24 years of age ( young adults). The task force shall: Compile data regarding all criminal filings in the state from the last 3 years that data is available in which a defendant is 18 through 24 years of age; Study the established brain research for young adults, study the data collected, study the potential impacts on the division of youth services and youthful offender system if they also served young adults, and make recommendations to the general assembly regarding appropriate uses of the juvenile justice system for young adults; and Create a report of the collected data and recommendations for the judiciary committees of the house of representatives and senate by June 30, 2020.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
