Education
Bill requiring suicide prevention helpline on all student ID cards supported by House committee
When Rep. Melissa Litchfield prepared to record votes on Senate Bill 234 Tuesday, she warned her fellow House Education Committee members she might struggle. “I’m shaking,” said Litchfield, a Brentwood Republican. “I’m going to have trouble calling it without crying.” The bill would require schools to put the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on all student […]
Bill requiring personal finance, sexual violence prevention instruction in public schools advances
A bill to require personal finance literacy and sexual violence prevention instruction in New Hampshire schools is closer to becoming law after passing the Senate unanimously last week. House Bill 1263 would require district school boards to create curricula that includes “personal finance literacy instruction designed to prepare students for success in making financial decisions.” […]
Proposed charter school federal funding overhaul sparks opposition from Sununu, Edelblut
Gov. Chris Sununu and Department of Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut are rallying against a Biden administration push to add new conditions for charter school federal funding, arguing the move would be overly burdensome and make funding difficult to qualify for. In a letter sent April 18, Sununu joined 17 other Republican governors in opposing the […]
Edelblut op-ed on family values in classroom sparks heated cultural debate
This story was updated April 22, 2022 at 11:23 a.m. to remove identifying details about one of the teachers described. An op-ed by New Hampshire Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut that urges teachers not to “undermine the sacred trust” of education has become a new flashpoint in a charged national debate over the direction of school […]
Parental push for special education watchdog opposed by child advocate, disability rights group
Nicole Sheaff remembers her third-grader’s learning environment not as a “classroom” but a “closet.” Her daughter, who receives special education services at Exeter School District, spent most of the third-grade separated from non-special education students, learning in a separate room during library, art, music, physical education, and recess periods, Sheaff told lawmakers this month. The […]
Senate to consider bill providing educational rights to children of service members
Military families could receive new educational rights for children or dependents under a bill set to appear before the New Hampshire Senate next week. House Bill 1653 would create a new chapter in state law to identify “military-connected students” in New Hampshire and would allow those students to attend any public school regardless of hometown. […]
State youth behavioral health programs put at risk by House vote – commentary
The American Academy of Pediatricians, the Children’s Hospital Association, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry have recently stated that children’s mental health is a national emergency. The American Psychological Association added that children’s mental health is in crisis. Yet, in March, the New Hampshire House approved House Bill 1639, relative to the […]
Bill to reduce home-school testing requirements moves through Senate
This story was updated on April 7 at 7:48 p.m. to clarify the purpose of the 40th percentile testing threshold in current state statute. The New Hampshire Senate is weighing a bill to loosen regulations for home-schooling families and eliminate a testing threshold that home-school advocates say is unfair. House Bill 1663 would strike a […]
Private Christian academies see boost from ‘education freedom account’ funds
Shortly after Gov. Chris Sununu signed New Hampshire’s “education freedom account” program into law, the staff at Laconia Christian Academy sprung to action. Beginning in late June last year, the small private school began informing the families who already attended their school and qualified for the new grant program. The program, which allows parents in […]
Department of Education proposes study on ‘school-induced distress’
The New Hampshire Department of Education is proposing to commission a study into “school-induced distress” among children and use it to come up with recommendations for how the state’s education system could be improved. In a request set to appear before the Executive Council this week, the department is proposing a partnership with RMC Research […]
Defending ‘divisive concepts’ statute, state argues law is not vague
New Hampshire’s new “freedom from discrimination” law barring certain teachings around race and class in public schools is legally sound and not overly vague, the Department of Justice argued in a federal court filing Friday. In a rebuttal to a pair of lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court of New Hampshire in Concord against Commissioner […]
Most education freedom account recipients not leaving public schools, department says
New Hampshire’s Education Freedom Account program continues to see a higher than expected take-up rate since it launched in September. But the proportion of students using it to leave their public schools continues to be relatively low. As of March 1, just 204 of the 1,800 students that were enrolled in the program this school […]