This Week in Education Legislation: A Life-Saving Bill Just Passed—Here’s What It Means

Happy Friday! ASBA is dedicated to informing all our members and subscribers of our positions on newly proposed legislation. As session progresses, we will be providing more information on ASBA’s positions as amendments are adopted. Read on to find out what happened this week in the realm of education legislation!

This week’s important bill

A win for life-saving medical care for students! This week, House Education Committee passed SB1440—a bill expanding how epinephrine can be administered to students. This bill updates current law to allow additional life-saving delivery methods beyond an epinephrine injection, including an FDA-approved nasal inhalation technique.

Breakdown on Bill Positions

SB1441 is a bill that would require school board elections to become partisan. ASBA maintains the belief that nonpartisan elections ensure school board members focus on education, not party agendas. Partisan elections could pressure members to follow political platforms over local needs, leading to ideological decisions rather than student-centered solutions.

School boards serve diverse communities, and partisan labels risk creating divisions, discouraging engagement, and undermining trust in fair representation. Requiring party affiliation could also deter qualified candidates, shrinking the pool of experienced educators and community leaders. Historically, nonpartisan boards have protected schools from political influence, ensuring stability. Shifting to partisan elections risks increased polarization, turning school board meetings into political battlegrounds instead of focusing on student success.

HB2484 requires school boards to adopt policies limiting student social media access and wireless device use during school hours. ASBA supports this measure to address concerns over student mental health, cyberbullying, and classroom distractions.

The bill preserves local control, allowing districts to set their own enforcement strategies while permitting teacher-directed educational use and emergency exceptions. It strengthens existing policies without imposing additional costs on schools. By ensuring consistent enforcement throughout the school day, HB2484 responds to parental concerns, supports educators in managing technology use, and promotes a focused learning environment to improve student outcomes.

Using the links below, contact your local legislators to express concerns over SB1441 and support HB2484. Together, we can continue to empower our local schools and ensure their success.

Find My Legislator

Email My Legislator

Bill Action Recap:

HB 2020 Teacher retention; study; report (Gress) — Monitor

FAILS Senate Education Committee

Vote: 3-3-1-0

• Makes changes to charter school budgets

• Requires that the number of full-time (or equivalent) teachers in the charter school be included in the budget for the current year

  • Clarifies that this number includes the number of teachers included in the budget for each school site if applicable

  • Clarifies that the number is disaggregated by subject area and grade level

• Establishes that the Department of Education must conduct a complete and comprehensive study each year to determine the retention rate of teachers in school districts and charter schools in the state

• Stipulates that the study must include:

  • A summary of the total number of teachers, retention rate, and the turnover rate for each of the following:

    • Certificated teachers, by each type of teaching certificate

    • Teachers that were issued a certificate by the State Board of Education during the past year, disaggregated by both the type of teaching certificate and whether the applicant was certified

    • Noncertified teachers

    • Teaching assignment, including both:

      • Subject area taught

      • Grade level taught, including kindergarten teachers

    • Location, including all the following:

      • By school site

      • By school district or charter school

      • By city or town

      • By county

    • The number of years’ experience of each teacher

    • The number of teachers who, within three years of beginning teaching, received formal mentorship from someone with five or more years of teaching experience

    • The number of teachers in each demographic segment in the state and in each district

    • The number of teachers who failed to renew their teaching certificate or endorsement, or both, during the past year

      • Includes the specific renewal requirements the applicable teachers failed to satisfy

  • A summary of the number of vacant teaching positions, including the average time to fill a vacancy for each of the following:

    • Teaching assignment, including both:

      • Subject area taught

      • Grade level taught, including kindergarten

    • Location, including the following:

      • By school site

      • By school district or charter school

      • By city or town

      • By County

    • How the vacancy was filled, if applicable, noting if

      • The vacancy is unfilled

      • The vacancy is temporarily filled by a long-term substitute teacher

      • The vacancy is temporarily filled by a certificated teacher whose regular teaching assignment is in a different subject area or grade level, or both, than the teaching assignment of the vacancy

  • An analysis of data for every state board of education approved teacher preparation program, including the following:

    • Program completion data

    • Program emphasis, if any, including subject area and grade level

    • Enrollment disaggregated by endorsement

    • The number of years individuals spend working as teachers in AZ upon completing the program

• Establishes that the State Board of Education and Board for Charter Schools must collect and provide any data/information requested by the Department of Education

  • The Department of Education will then collect this data/information and use it to analyze public job postings by school and charter school districts

  • Requires the department of education to allow the state board to access any data and information collected by the department

• Requires that on or before December 31st, 2025, and on this date in each year afterwards, that the Department of Education must submit the study results and recommendations to the Governor, The President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House, as well as provide a copy of the study to the Secretary of State

• Requires that the Department of Education must develop and maintain a publicly accessible and interactive dashboard on their website containing study results and recommendations based on the data compiled from the study

• Requires that the number of full-time equivalent teachers that the school district included in the budget for the current year, including the number of teachers included in the budget for each school that is operated by the school district, be disaggregated by subject area and grade level

• Changes the appropriations portion of the Title 15 statute to require that the sum of $100,000 is appropriated from the teacher certification fund in the fiscal year 2025-2026 to the Department of Education to assist in implementing the study

• Makes technical corrections

HB 2484 School policies; internet; wireless devices (Pingerelli) — Support

Passes Senate Education Committee

Vote: Unanimous

• Requires each school district governing board and charter school governing body to create and enforce policies and procedures that do the following:

  • Regulate student access to the internet provided by the school, including rules that restrict access to social media platforms. These policies must allow teachers to grant students access to social media platforms when necessary for educational purposes

  • Restrict the use of wireless communication devices by students during the school day. However, these policies must do all of the following:

    • Allow students to use wireless communication devices for:

      • Educational purposes under their teacher's direction

      • During emergencies

      • Medical conditions

    • Include procedures for a student’s parent to contact the student during the school day

    • Include procedures for a student to contact the student’s parent during the school day

• Establishes that, at the beginning of the school year, the school district must provide parents, teachers, and students with a copy of the policies adopted relating to phone usage in school, as well as any changes or updates to the policies adopted

• Defines the following terms:

  • "School day" refers to the time when students are at school, including meals, passing periods, and recess

  • "Social media platform" means a website, app, or other digital platform used for social networking and creating or sharing virtual content

  • "Wireless communication devices" include both personal devices and those provided by the school

HB 2514 notices; directory information; disclosure; consent (Olson) — Support

Passes Senate Education Committee

Vote: 5-2-0-0

• Requires the governing board to adopt a policy ensuring parents receive the required information in either electronic or printed form

  • Requires the governing board to provide parents with a copy of the adopted policy through an annual notice

• Establishes that a school may disclose directory information about students in compliance with state and federal law if the school first notifies the parent or eligible student of the designated types of directory information

  • Requires the school to inform the parent or eligible student of their right to refuse the designation of any or all types of information as directory information

  • Requires the school to specify the time period in which the parent or eligible student must submit a written notice to opt out of the designation of directory information

• Prohibits a school from disclosing a student’s address, telephone number, or email address unless the parent or eligible student has provided affirmative written consent

  • Allows disclosure if the parent or eligible student has not opted out and the information is provided to enrolled students for educational purposes or to school employees for school business purposes

• Defines an eligible student as a student who is at least eighteen years old or emancipated

• Makes technical corrections

HB 2610 school districts; board members; superintendent (Gress) — Oppose

Held in Senate Education Committee

SB 1091 school districts; bonds; overrides; ballots (Hoffman) — Oppose

Passes House Education Committee

Vote: 7-4-0-1

• Requires the following statement to be included on a ballot in regard to holding an election that itself would continue exceeding district additional assistance, if voters previously approved a budget above that amount in a school district:

  • “Without the budget increase authorized by this election, the estimated tax rate will be reduced by $_________ per $100 of net assessed valuation used for secondary property tax purposes beginning on (Date current authorization expires)”

• Requires the ballot to include the following statement if the election is to continue exceeding the revenue control limit and the proposed override will be fully funded by continuing a levy of taxes on taxable property in the school district:

  • “Any budget increase continuation authorized by this election shall be entirely funded by a levy of taxes on the taxable property in this school district for the year for which adopted and for _______ subsequent years, shall not be realized from monies furnished by the state and shall not be subject to the limitation on taxes specified in article IX, section 18, Constitution of Arizona. Based on the current net assessed valuation used for secondary property tax purposes, to fund the proposed continuation of the increase in the school district's budget would require an estimated continuation of a tax rate of $______________ per $100 of assessed valuation used for secondary property tax purposes and is in addition to the school district's tax rate that will be levied to fund the school district's revenue control limit allowed by law. Without the continuation authorized by this election, the estimated tax rate will be reduced by $_________ per $100 of net assessed valuation used for secondary property tax purposes beginning on (Date current authorization expires).”

• Requires the ballot to include the following statement if the election is to continue exceeding the revenue control limit established by section 15-842 Arizona Revised Statutes, and the proposed override will be fully funded by continuing a levy of taxes on taxable property in the school district:

  • “Any budget increase continuation authorized by this election shall be entirely funded by a levy of taxes on the taxable property in this school district for the year for which adopted and for ______ subsequent years, shall not be realized from monies furnished by the state and shall not be subject to the limitation on taxes specified in article IX, section 18, Constitution of Arizona. Based on the current net assessed valuation used for secondary property tax purposes, to fund the proposed continuation of the increase in the school district's budget would require an estimated continuation of a tax rate of $______________ per $100 of net assessed valuation used for secondary property tax purposes and is in addition to the school district's tax rate that will be levied to fund the school district's revenue control limit allowed by law. Without the continuation authorized by this election, the estimated tax rate will be reduced by $_________ per $100 of net assessed valuation used for secondary property tax purposes beginning on (Date current authorization expires).”

• Requires the ballot to include the following statement if a school district's authority to issue and sell bonds funded by a tax levy is expiring and the governing board calls an election to determine whether the district may issue and sell bonds at the same rate in subsequent years:

  • “Without the continuation authorized by this election, the estimated tax rate will be reduced by $_________ per $100 of net assessed valuation used for secondary property tax purposes beginning on (Date current authorization expires).”

• Requires the ballot to include the following statement If a budget override was previously adopted by the voters in a school district and the election is to continue the budget override:

  • “Without the budget increase authorized by this election, the estimated tax rate will be reduced by $_________ per $100 of net assessed valuation used for secondary property tax purposes beginning on (Date current authorization expires).”

• Makes technical corrections

SB 1255 public schools; safety; reporting requirements (Bolick) — Oppose

Passes House Education Committee

Vote: 7-5-0-0

• Requires each public school and local education agency to post on its website the most recent information reported to the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights for the civil rights data collection survey, subject to the condition that data protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is not published, and requires redaction of such data to ensure compliance with FERPA

• Requires the Department of Education to submit a school safety report by December 15 each year to the governor, president of the senate, speaker of the house of representatives, and the secretary of state, detailing the following information, as reported to the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, for the purposes of the Civil Rights Data collection survey:

  • The number of school safety incidents

  • The number of referrals to law enforcement

  • Data regarding the school climate

• Requires the Arizona department of education to collect the information for the report required from publicly available sources and the most recent information that each public school reported to the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights

• Requires the report to be posted on the department's website in an accessible public format

SB 1269 public schools; volunteer chaplains; authorization (Rogers) — Oppose

Passes House Education Committee

VOTE: 7-5-0-0

• Allows school district governing boards and charter school governing bodies to permit volunteer school chaplains to provide support, services, or programs, or any combination of support, services, and programs, to students

• Requires each school district governing board and charter school governing body that allows volunteer school chaplains to adopt a policy that:

  • Describes the support, services, or programs, or combination of support, services, and programs, that the volunteer school chaplain may provide to students

  • Establishes procedures for each school that is operated by a school district or charter school to develop and maintain a list of volunteer school chaplains who may provide support, services, or programs, or any combination of support, services, and programs, to students enrolled in the school district or charter school; includes the religious affiliation, if any, of each volunteer school chaplain, and requires the school district or charter school to post the list on their website

    • Further requires the principal of each school to ensure that each volunteer school chaplain does all of the following before they may be allowed at the school:

      • Satisfy the requirements for school personnel who are not pad employees found in Section 15-512, Arizona Revised Statutes

      • Demonstrate that the volunteer school chaplain is an official member of a local religious group

      • Hold a bachelor's degree

      • Either holds a graduate degree in counseling or theology or has at least seven years of experience serving as a chaplain

      • Has at least two years of experience serving as a chaplain in a local religious group

      • Sign a statement attesting that the volunteer school chaplain will not teach or encourage students to engage in conduct that is contrary to the academic standards adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to Section 15-701 or 15-701.01, Arizona Revised Statutes

      • Demonstrate a sincere desire to meet the objectives, if any, in the school district’s or charter school’s policy relating to volunteer school chaplains, and enhance student welfare

  • Requires each individual school at which a volunteer school chaplain provides support, services, or programs, or any combination of support, services, and programs, to:

    • Notify all parents and guardians of students that the support, services, or programs are available

    • Obtain written consent from a student's parent or guardian before the student may receive support or services from a volunteer school chaplain or participate in a program provided by a volunteer school chaplain

    • Provide each student's parent or guardian an opportunity to select a volunteer school chaplain from the list developed under paragraph 2 at the time the parent or guardian provides written consent

• Allows the principal at each school to refuse to include any volunteer school chaplain if the principal determines that either the volunteer school chaplain fails to meet the requirements prescribed, or allowing the volunteer school chaplain to provide support, services, or programs to students will be contrary to the pedagogical interests of the school

• Defines "chaplain" as an individual who is officially authorized by the leadership of a religious group, pursuant to the religious group’s governing principles, to conduct religious exercises

• Defines "local religious group" as a religious group that meets at least one time per month at a location within the boundaries of the school district in which the school is located

• Defines "religious group" as an organized group that meets all of the following criteria:

  • Is led, supervised, or counseled by a hierarchy of teachers, clergy, sages, or priests

  • Acknowledges the existence of and worships one or more supernatural entities that possess power over the natural world

  • Regularly engages in a ceremony, ritual, or protocol

  • Imposes moral duties that are independent of any individual's self-interest

SB 1440 epinephrine delivery systems (Werner) — Monitor

Passes House Education Committee

Vote: Unanimous

• Replaces statutory references to the term epinephrine auto-injectors with the term epinephrine delivery system

• Defines “epinephrine delivery system” as a device or product that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, that contains a premeasured dose of epinephrine and that is used to administer epinephrine into the human body to prevent or treat a life-threatening allergic reaction

• Makes technical corrections

SB 1441 school districts; partisan elections (Werner) — Oppose

Passes House Education Committee

Vote: 7-4-1-0

• Requires the county school superintendent to prepare separate ballots or include the names of candidates for the school district governing board on the regular ballot

• Requires the ballot to list the names of all persons whose petitions have been filed to appear on the ballot, with each candidate's partisan designation and title of the office being sought

• Defines the partisan designation as the political party of which the candidate is a qualified elector one hundred fifty days before the primary election day for the election cycle in which the person is a candidate

• Applies Sections 15-422 and 16-502, Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by this act, to school district governing board elections held on or after January 1, 2026

• Removes school district officials from nonpartisan ballot requirements

• Makes technical corrections

SB 1625 school transparency portal; reporting; requirements (Werner) — Oppose

Held in House Education Committee

SB 1689 school districts; overexpenditures; ADE; notice (Farnsworth) — Support

Passes House Education Committee

Vote: Unanimous

• Requires a county school superintendent to provide written notice to the department of education within two business days if they determine that a school district has committed an overexpenditure

• Requires the department of education to notify the county school superintendent if it independently determines that a school district has committed an overexpenditure and to take any required actions

• Establishes that a county school superintendent may review the operations and finances, including expenditures, of any school district located within their county

• Prohibits drawing a warrant for an expenditure from maintenance and operation, capital outlay, adjacent ways, and federal and state grant funds, if the expenditure is not included in the school district's budget or exceeds the budgeted amount, unless the department of education provides written notification that budget capacity exists, or the expenditure is authorized by the board of supervisors

• Makes technical corrections

Mark your calendar! Here’s what’s coming up in next week’s committee meetings:

Tuesday, March 18th, 2025 @ 2:00 PM
House Education Committee
The following bills will be heard:

SB1083 — Appropriation; University of Arizona; Agriculture (Dunn)
SB1233 — School Safety; Proposals; Assessments; Plans (Payne)
SB1247 — Arizona Teachers Academy; Community Colleges (Farnsworth)
SB1301 — Asian American History; Instruction Requirements (Kavanagh)
SB1358 — Charter Schools; Access; Decision-Making Authority (Farnsworth)
SB1502 — Literacy Endorsement; Curricula; Special Education (Farnsworth)
SB1504 — Community Colleges; Baccalaureate Degrees; Reports (Farnsworth)
SB1505 — Certified Teachers; Braille Literacy; Requirements (Farnsworth)
SB1508 — Technical Correction; Additional Judges (Now: Bullying; Definition) (Bolick)
SB1694 — Higher Education; Withholding State Monies (Farnsworth)

Wednesday, March 19th, 2025 @ 1:30 PM
Senate Education Committee
The following bills will be heard:

HB2020 — Teacher Retention; Study; Report (Gress)
HB2167 — School Districts; Records; Noncompliance; Penalties (Gress)
HB2169 — School Districts; Board Meetings; Expenditures (Gress)
HB2540 — Statewide Assessment; Accommodations; Written Form (Taylor)
HB2610 — School Districts; Board Members; Superintendent (Gress)
HB2640 — School Districts; Leases; Termination; Nonrenewal (Gress)
HB2670 — Health Education; Fetal Development Instruction (Keshel)
HB2867 — Antisemitism; Public Schools; Prohibition; Penalties (Way)