COVID-19 and Other Issues
“Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man.” – The Apostle Paul to the Colossians
I am beginning this week with an apology. My last report began with a quote from Gene Royer, the author of “School Board Leadership 2000.” The quote was “In a homeschooling environment, the teacher need not be certified but, but the child must learn. In a public school environment, the teacher must be certified, but the child need not learn.” I do not know anything further about Mr. Royer and have not read his book. My intention was to suggest that state certification or authentication may not always equal effectiveness. However, a good friend who is a retired teacher was personally offended and helped me understand how offensive that quote may have been to those who effectively serve students and families in the classrooms of today. I wish I had chosen a different quotation to include or at least had researched the quotation more thoroughly before choosing it. Please forgive me if you are one of those teachers.
By now you may have heard that the Senate has recessed for two weeks. One of those weeks was already scheduled for the Spring Legislative Break, the week of March 23 through 26. However, after multiple consultations with health and state officials, the decision was made to recess an additional week in the interest of public health. The Legislature is somewhat of a petri dish for viruses and on many days makes contact with hundreds of individuals from locations across the country. Senators, some because of personal health issues and some because of general concerns, agreed that the best avenue was to avoid those contacts for an additional week. State government will continue to operate as usual, but responses may be delayed somewhat as most senators and office personnel work remotely, most from home.
The past week’s activities included the perfecting of House Bill 1693 which imposes a PDMP (prescription drug monitoring program) on Missourians. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 21 to 10, and I was one of the 10. The PDMP passed by the Senate is markedly different from the version that came over from the House and avoids some of the most objectionable provisions of past versions, but still represents what I believe to be an ineffective imposition on Missourians and their health care providers. You can read both a summary of the bill and the complete perfected language by visiting the Senate website.
A couple of important education bills were heard in committee this week. One addresses access to virtual education, particularly full-time virtual as opposed to course access. Some parents who believe their children would be best served within the virtual setting felt they were being denied the access that had been provided by law. Some had prevailed in their appeal process but then were forced to go to court against their school district. It was an interesting hearing, and Senate Bill 996 is now awaiting floor debate in the senate.
The second important education bill is one that is very similar to one I filed in years past, and is now being pursued by the chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee. Senate Bill 966 establishes teaching methods and procedures designed to ensure that every Missouri student is able to read at grade level. There is a tragic correlation between the inability to read and the prison population of Missouri. Few would deny the importance of reading to learning and becoming an informed citizen. As usual, the opposition was almost entirely composed of representatives of the education establishment and their lobbyists. Similar legislation has been very effective in other states, but the opposition has changed very little.
Thank you for reading this legislative report. You can contact my office at (573) 751-2108 if you have any questions. Thank you and we welcome your prayers for the proper application of state government.