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Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:
‘An Act To Clarify Statewide Assessment Program Options’
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the summary and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §6214  is enacted to read:
§ 6214. Statewide assessment program options
 
1.  Department.     Beginning in the 2015-2016 school year, the department shall create a report that compiles and clearly outlines the federal and state laws and judicial decisions relating to the right or options of a student's parent to excuse the student from a statewide assessment program administered pursuant to this chapter. The department shall update the report annually to reflect changes in federal and state laws and judicial decisions. Prior to January 1st of each year, the department shall disseminate the report to all school administrative units and post the report on the department's publicly accessible website.
 
2.  Educators.    An educator may discuss the information disseminated by the department to the educator's school administrative unit pursuant to subsection 1 with a student's parent regarding the right or options to excuse a student from a statewide assessment program and may refer the parent to the principal or another school administrator employed by the school administrative unit.’
 
SUMMARY
This amendment, which is the minority report of the committee, strikes and replaces the bill to require the Department of Education, beginning in the 2015-2016 school year, to create an annual report that outlines the federal and state laws and judicial decisions relating to the right or options of a student's parent or guardian to excuse the student from a statewide assessment program administered as part of the system of learning results. This amendment allows an educator to discuss the information published in the department's report with a student's parent or guardian and also allows the educator to refer the parent or guardian to the school's principal or another administrator employed by the school administrative unit.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)