The career development success program provides financial incentives for participating school districts and participating charter schools to encourage pupils enrolled in grades 9 through 12 to enroll in and successfully complete qualified industry-credential programs; qualified internship, residency, or construction industry pre-apprenticeship or apprenticeship programs; and qualified advanced placement courses (programs and courses). The act amends the list of qualified programs by removing residency programs and expanding pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs to include any industry program, not just construction industry programs.The act expands the definition of a qualified industry-credential program to include a career and technical education program that, upon completion, results in an industry-recognized credential with labor market value aligned with a high-skill, high-wage, in-demand job.Current law requires the work force development council (council) to identify the qualified programs and courses by identifying the jobs included in the Colorado talent report with the greatest regional and state demand, including jobs in in-demand industries. The act requires the council to consult with relevant industries to identify the programs and courses by identifying high-skill, high-wage jobs in in-demand industries that have labor market value. Any programs and courses the council determines do not demonstrate labor market value may be removed from the council's website.Beginning in the 2022-23 school year, and each school year thereafter, the department of education (department), in coordination with the department of labor and employment, the department of higher education, the Colorado community college system, and employers from in-demand industries, shall identify the top 10 industry-recognized credentials that may be awarded to high school students. For each identified credential, the department shall specify how the courses taken to earn the credential align with the state academic standards.The act requires each participating school district, each nonparticipating school district on behalf of its participating charter schools, and the state charter school institute on behalf of each participating institute charter school to report to the department the total number of pupils who successfully complete a program or course, disaggregated by each student's race, ethnicity, and gender, and whether each student is a student with a disability, an English language learner, or eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.Current law requires each participating school district and each participating charter school to regularly communicate to all high school students the availability of programs and courses and the benefits a student receives as a result of successfully completing one of the programs or courses. The act expands this requirement to all middle school students and the students' families.The act requires each participating school district and each participating charter school to communicate how industry-recognized credentials and guaranteed-transfer pathways courses that are included in such credentials are aligned with postsecondary degrees and high-skill, high-wage, in-demand jobs, and the top 10 industry-recognized credentials identified by the department. The communications must be provided in a language that the students and the students' families understand.The act updates the department's annual reporting requirements to the general assembly to include:Whether the students participating in the programs and courses enlisted in the military or entered the workforce after graduation; How money received under the career development success program was used to promote the availability of programs and courses; and How the participating school district or participating charter school determined which programs and courses to offer, including how the programs and courses are aligned with local workforce needs. No later than July 1, 2022, the department, in collaboration with the Colorado community college system, shall publish and disseminate materials through existing and relevant platforms used to engage with districts that include, at a minimum, the top 10 industry-recognized credentials and a sample communications plan for how a participating school district or participating charter school may communicate the value of credentials and experiences to students and families.The act requires participating school districts and participating charter schools to utilize program funding to promote access to programs and courses.The act requires the return on investment report to include information specifically identifying the number of high school students enrolled and the number of degrees and certificates awarded through the career development success program.The act appropriates $20,000 from the general fund to the department of education to implement the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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Current law requires a private college or university operating in the state to be institutionally accredited on the basis of an on-site review by a regional or national accrediting body recognized by the United States department of education (DOE). The act allows private colleges and universities and private occupational schools to be accredited by:Institutional or programmatic accrediting bodies recognized by the DOE; or Programmatic accrediting bodies that are recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as having the ability to accredit freestanding, single-purpose institutions of construction education. The act states it is a deceptive trade or sales practice for a private occupational school to advertise or otherwise represent that it is accredited unless the school is accredited by an accrediting body that is recognized by the DOE or is accredited by a programmatic accrediting body that is recognized by the CHEA as having the ability to accredit a freestanding, single-purpose institution of construction education.The act allows an educational institution or educational service that is exempt from the requirements of the "Private Occupational Education Act of 1981" to waive its exempt status in order to apply for authorization to operate a private occupational school, subject to certain conditions.For the 2021-22 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $98,796 to the department of higher education from the private occupational schools fund, $45,626 of which is for use by the division of private occupational schools for program costs and $53,170 of which is reappropriated to the department of law to use to provide legal services to the department of higher education.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The Colorado constitution allows a qualifying senior or a veteran who has a service-connected disability rated as a 100% permanent disability to claim a property tax exemption for 50% of the first $200,000 of actual value of the qualifying senior's or veteran's owner-occupied primary residence. The concurrent resolution extends eligibility for the exemption to the gold star spouse of a veteran. Gold star spouse is defined as the spouse of a deceased member of the United States armed forces who qualifies for a gold star lapel button due to the death of the member of the United States armed forces under applicable federal law and regulations prescribed by the federal secretary of defense.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this concurrent resolution as introduced in the second house.)
If a school district, board of cooperative services, or charter school (local education provider) provides educational programming via online instruction to a student (online student), the act prohibits the local education provider from:Prohibiting the online student's parent from being in the same room while the student participates in online instruction, but the person leading the instruction may require a disruptive parent to leave the area of online instruction; Requiring an online student to use a camera while participating in online instruction if the student's technology does not allow for use of a camera; and Suspending or expelling an online student based on an item observed in the student's physical environment or the student's behavior while participating in online instruction, unless the behavior constitutes one of the statutory grounds for suspension or expulsion. The act specifies that the limitation on suspending or expelling an online student applies to suspensions and expulsions that occur on or after March 23, 2020.The act specifies that the premises, facilities, and buildings of an educational institution do not include an online student's private residence for purposes of the crime of interference with staff, faculty, or students of educational institutions.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
A state or local public body conducting a search for a chief executive officer of an agency, authority, institution, or other entity is required to name one or more candidates as finalists and to make the finalist or finalists public prior to making an offer of employment. The application materials of an applicant for any employment position, including an applicant for an executive position who is not a finalist, are not subject to public inspection under the "Colorado Open Records Act". The act repeals a provision requiring that, if 3 or fewer candidates for an executive position meet the minimum requirements for the position, all of those candidates must be treated as finalists and their application materials are public records. The act requires the disclosure of demographic data concerning the race and gender of a candidate who was interviewed but not named as a finalist for a chief executive officer position, if that information was legally requested and voluntarily provided.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act makes conforming amendments and includes a cleanup of the main definition section for title 19, Colorado Revised Statutes, to reflect changes made through the reorganization of article 2 of title 19, Colorado Revised Statutes.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The concurrent resolution authorizes the governor to declare a state of disaster emergency that continues for up to 30 days. At the end of 30 days, if the governor has not previously terminated the state of disaster emergency, it automatically terminates unless extended by the general assembly. To extend a state of disaster emergency, the general assembly, prior to the date of automatic termination, must adopt a joint resolution passed by a two-thirds majority of each house. The joint resolution must specify the length of time for which the state of disaster emergency is extended and does not require approval by the governor. If the general assembly has not extended the state of disaster emergency before the date of termination and is not in session as of the date of termination, the governor may call the general assembly into special session to extend the state of disaster emergency. The governor may terminate the state of disaster emergency before the date to which it is extended, and the general assembly may adopt subsequent joint resolutions to further extend the state of disaster emergency if not previously terminated by the governor.(Note: This summary applies to this concurrent resolution as introduced.)
The bill specifies that a patient admitted to a hospital for inpatient care and a resident of a nursing care facility or assisted living residence may have at least one visitor of the patient's or resident's choosing during the stay or residency. A hospital, a nursing care facility, and an assisted living residence (collectively referred to as "health-care facility") must have written policies and procedures regarding the visitation rights of patients and residents, including policies and procedures setting forth any clinically necessary or reasonable restriction or limitation that the health-care facility may need to place on patient and resident visitation rights and the reasons for the restriction or limitation. The bill prohibits a health-care facility from adopting policies or procedures that prohibit visitation of a patient or resident if the sole reason for the prohibition is to reduce the risk of transmission of a pandemic disease, but a health-care facility may impose specified requirements and limitations for visitors to reduce the risk of transmission of the pandemic disease. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Under current law, a school district, charter school, or board of cooperative services (local education provider) may use per-pupil intervention money received pursuant to the "Colorado READ Act" to purchase core reading instructional programs (programs) that are on an advisory list of programs created by the department of education (department). The bill authorizes a local education provider to use per-pupil intervention money to purchase programs that are not on the advisory list but that the local education provider determines meet the criteria for placement on the list. After the local education provider has used the programs for 2 school years, the department must review the programs and the results achieved and determine whether the programs are effective in improving students' reading competency. If the programs are effective, the department must place the programs on the advisory list. If the programs are not effective, a local education provider may not subsequently use per-pupil intervention money to purchase the programs. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)