The debate was familiar, the result more or less the same.

For the second consecutive year, the House narrowly voted down a constitutional amendment asserting parental rights.

House Joint Resolution 9 was a word-for-word reprint of a proposed amendment from 2025. It would have deleted wording that says the Legislature “may require by law that every child shall attend the public schools of the state, throughout the period between the ages of six and 18 years.” In its place, the amendment would have added replacement wording: “The right of the people to educate their children without government regulation outside of the public schools of the state shall not be infringed.”

The amendment’s sponsor, House Education Committee Chairman Dale Hawkins, R-Fernwood, said the mandatory attendance language struck him as “rather archaic.” The parental rights language would align with several sections of state law, he said, and assert this “natural right” within the Constitution.

Most House members agreed. But not enough to clear the two-thirds supermajority to pass a constitutional amendment.

Without debate, 44 House members voted for the amendment. A bipartisan group of 25 lawmakers voted no, killing the amendment.

In 2025, 46 House members voted for the amendment, leaving it just one vote shy of the supermajority threshold.

Constitutional amendments must receive two-thirds support from both houses, and then must receive majority support from the electorate.

House passes school speeding bill

After a minor lighthearted debate, the House overwhelmingly passed a bill that would increase penalties for speeding in a school zone.

Under House Bill 570, going more than 20 mph over the speed limit in a school zone would be reckless driving, a misdemeanor. The restriction would also apply to construction zones.

During debate, Rep. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls, recounted her experience getting a speeding ticket — in the home district of the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Mike Pohanka, R-Jerome. Pohanka’s district seatmate, Rep. Jack Nelsen, R-Jerome, rose to thank Ehardt for paying her fine and supporting law enforcement in his community.

Rep. Dan Garner, R-Clifton, said he would have trouble complying with the law — as the owner of a Corvette.

Ultimately, Garner voted for the bill, as did Ehardt. The bill passed on a 68-1 vote. House Education Committee Chairman Dale Hawkins, R-Fernwood, cast the lone dissenting vote.

HB 570 now rolls to the Senate.

IHLA bill heads to governor 

A bill that would overhaul state regulations for online charter schools is heading to Gov. Brad Little’s desk. 

The Senate unanimously passed House Bill 624 on Thursday. After a report last year highlighted that controversial payments to parents in the Idaho Home Learning Academy were being misused, the bill sailed through the Legislature with no opposition. 

The bill would restrict “supplemental learning funds”  to education-related expenses and require that virtual schools disclose information about the private vendors with whom they contract. In addition, virtual school teachers would have to be certified, and their curriculum would have to align with state standards. 

The bill is sponsored by Reps. Soñia Galaviz, D-Boise; Douglas Pickett, R-Oakley; and Clay Handy, R-Burley, along with Sen. Dave Lent, R-Idaho Falls. 

“It’s part of us fine-tuning and moving our education system to meet a changing market with different needs,” Lent told the Senate. 

Sen. Tammy Nichols said some constituents initially raised concerns about the bill, but these were addressed through a “collaborative effort. I know my constituents will be very appreciative of the efforts that have gone into fixing some of the issues because it is a good program,” said Nichols, R-Middleton.

Bill requiring daily recess advances

A bill that would prohibit public elementary schools from taking away recess as a punishment is heading to the full House. 

The House Education Committee voted Thursday to advance a replacement bill for House Bill 784. The new version clarified that K-5 school districts and charter schools must provide “at least” one recess per day. 

Research shows that giving children time to stretch their legs and “get the wiggles out” during recess “improves focus, attention and academic performance,” said sponsoring Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d’Alene.

State superintendent Debbie Critchfield also spoke in favor of the bill. “I philosophically believe that (withholding) recess should not be a penalty,” she said. 

The committee had a lengthy debate that focused on a provision that says recess cannot be withheld for “any disciplinary purposes.” Rep. Soñia Galaviz, an elementary school teacher, said this is an “overreach.” 

“If I have a kiddo that’s making poor choices, and I want to say, ‘After lunch, come chat with me. Let’s talk about that behavior in the hallway,’ I cannot do that,” said Galaviz, D-Boise. “A teacher will not be able to because it says ‘for any purpose.’”

Redman said he understands the concerns. But discipline could be dealt with by administrators and parents after school. And recess could help ease behavior problems, he said. “I have young children, too, and oftentimes getting them outside, getting them some fresh air, running around will help with that.” 

Galaviz along with Reps. Chris Mathias, D-Boise, and Jack Nelsen, R-Jerome, opposed a motion to advance the bill.

The House Education Committee also took action on two other bills Thursday: 

Online behavior. Another bill from Redman advanced without debate. 

House Bill 785 would create a statutory definition of inappropriate online behavior. It would direct school boards to investigate allegations and take “appropriate and proportional” disciplinary measures. 

“The issue was brought before me from multiple teachers throughout the state, including some in my own district, that have had some pretty vulgar and unkind online behaviors about them,” Redman said. 

CTE hours. The committee introduced a new bill that would eliminate minimum working hours for career technical education certificates. 

Currently, CTE instructors must demonstrate 6,000 hours of experience in their field — or 2,000 hours if they have a bachelor’s degree — to qualify for a CTE certificate. The hours exist in both state law and administrative rules, said Rep. Kyle Harris, R-Lewiston. 

Harris said his bill would eliminate the hours from statute allowing for more flexibility to set them through the rule-making process. “We can let it fluctuate with whatever the profession is,” he said.

New bill says in-person instruction can’t happen at polling locations 

The House State Affairs Committee also introduced a new school-related bill Thursday. 

It would clarify that in-person learning cannot occur in a school building while it’s being used as a polling location during an election. 

The bill would take effect in 2028. It’s sponsored by Rep. Britt Raybould, R-Rexburg.