This bill requires Vermont school districts to adopt a mental health and substance misuse literacy curriculum for students, covering topics like mental health connections to physical well-being, warning signs, available resources, and how to seek help. It also establishes a four-year state-funded pilot program for peer-to-peer mental health support in schools, where trained student volunteers provide support under professional oversight, with priority given to schools in high-suicide areas or those including suicide prevention. School staff involved in the program must complete specific training on empathetic listening, recognizing risk factors, and connecting students to professional services. The bill affects all Vermont public and approved independent schools, with implementation beginning July 2026 and a final evaluation report due by 2030.
This bill requires Vermont's Agency of Education to create guidance and training for schools to distinguish between protected political speech and unlawful harassment targeting protected groups. It adds new members to the Harassment, Hazing, and Bullying Prevention Advisory Council and mandates a new freedom of expression curriculum for public K-12 schools. The curriculum will teach students age-appropriate basics about First Amendment protections under both federal and Vermont constitutions. The bill directly affects Vermont public schools, students, educators, and school districts by setting standards for handling political expression and harassment claims. It aims to ensure schools remain safe while preventing censorship of lawful political discourse, particularly regarding issues like Palestinian human rights advocacy.
S.271 requires Vermont's Agency of Education to create guidance and training for school districts to distinguish between protected political expression (like advocacy for Palestinian rights) and unlawful harassment targeting protected groups. It also expands the Harassment, Hazing, and Bullying Prevention Advisory Council with new member categories and mandates the development of a First Amendment curriculum for public K-12 schools, teaching age-appropriate constitutional protections under both the U.S. Constitution and Vermont's Chapter I, Article 13. The bill directly affects Vermont public schools, staff, and students by setting new standards for handling speech-related incidents and integrating free expression education into curricula. Key provisions include requiring schools to use context-based evaluations of speech (e.g., differentiating targeted harassment from political critique) and ensuring training avoids chilling student expression. The bill aims to align school policies with constitutional standards while addressing concerns about vague antisemitism definitions suppressing lawful discourse.
This bill requires Vermont's Secretary of Education to create an interdisciplinary climate change curriculum for K-12 schools, based on the 2023 IPCC report. It mandates that the State Board of Education update all school district curriculum standards by July 2027 to include climate change education across all grade levels and subjects. The curriculum must be open-source and accessible, building on existing educational resources. These changes apply directly to Vermont's public elementary and secondary schools and their district-level curriculum planning.
This bill requires Vermont schools, school districts, cultural institutions (like museums), and educational programs receiving public funds to consult with and obtain written endorsement from the Odanak and Wôlinak First Nations before using or presenting materials about Indigenous history or culture in Vermont. It directly affects all public schools, approved independent schools, and cultural institutions hosting school groups that develop or use such curriculum. The key mechanism is mandating formal consultation and written approval from these two Abenaki nations, whose ancestral territory includes present-day Vermont, to ensure accuracy and cultural integrity. The bill is grounded in Vermont’s recognition of UNDRIP principles, particularly the right of Indigenous peoples to consent to decisions affecting their cultural heritage.
H 318 requires all Vermont public schools to offer computer science education starting in the 2025-2026 school year: high schools must provide at least one course for grades 9-12, middle schools must offer exploratory computer science for grades 6-8, and elementary schools must teach foundational computer science and computational thinking. The bill establishes standards for course quality, mandates annual reporting on student participation (disaggregated by gender, race, disability status, etc.) and teacher qualifications, and creates a grant program to fund teacher professional development in computer science. School districts must submit detailed reports to the Agency of Education, which will publicly post aggregated data on course offerings and student demographics. This bill directly affects Vermont's public schools, teachers, and students by integrating computer science into the curriculum while supporting educator training and tracking equity in access.
H 472 updates fees and requirements for professionals regulated by Vermont's Office of Professional Regulation (OPR). It reduces biennial renewal fees for peer support providers from $50 to $75, increases verification license fees to $30, and requires cosmetology schools to include specific training on textured hair care (including cultural competency) in their curriculum. The bill also clarifies that disciplinary surcharges fund a Professional Regulatory Fee Fund and prohibits boards from charging renewal fees during lapsed license periods. These changes affect all licensed professionals under OPR, including nurses, cosmetologists, and peer support specialists, modernizing fee structures and training standards.
This bill requires Vermont public schools (prekindergarten through grade 12) to include instruction on social equity and justice in their curriculum, prohibiting restrictions on teaching topics like historical systems of oppression, race/gender as social constructs, and intersectional identities. It mandates that schools adopt policies affirming the dignity of all educators and students, bans influence from privately funded groups on curriculum decisions, and protects teachers from adverse action for following state/federal law in their teaching. The bill amends education standards to require curriculum development within existing State Board of Education frameworks, ensuring schools maintain autonomy while integrating these topics. It explicitly states the bill does not alter existing educational standards or dictate specific instructional materials.
H.310 requires Vermont public schools (K-12) to address antisemitism through updated policies and education. It amends the harassment definition to explicitly include antisemitic harassment - covering slurs, stereotypes, and threats targeting Jewish heritage - and mandates the Secretary of Education to develop a curriculum on antisemitism's evolution, effects, and legal consequences. The bill also requires training for school staff, age-appropriate teaching materials, and technical assistance for implementation. This affects all Vermont public school students and educators, aiming to prevent antisemitic incidents amid rising national hate crime statistics cited in the bill. The proposed curriculum would be developed in coordination with Shalom Alliance of Vermont.
H 323 proposes creating the Mental Health Innovation Special Fund, financed through voluntary tax checkoffs on state income returns. The fund would support three main programs: mandatory school mental health screenings for students, a peer-to-peer mental health support pilot in schools, and a statewide mental health and substance misuse literacy curriculum for students. It directs the Department of Health and Education to develop and implement these initiatives, with grant funding available for innovative mental health and substance misuse treatment programs targeting youth and workforce development. The bill establishes mechanisms for public contributions via tax forms and annual reporting requirements for fund usage, directly affecting Vermont students, schools, and mental health care providers.
