Committee updates school community council rules, clarifies internet‑filtering reporting

Representative Miller presented the second substitute to HB 144 to clarify school community council (SCC) membership (ensuring non‑educator parent members must outnumber educator parent members), refine internet‑filtering reporting to make it actionable for SCCs, and add flexibility for small or rural schools to meet membership requirements.

The State Board of Education and school boards expressed support; the sponsor said the change was designed to make the code clearer and more attainable for councils that struggled with technical filtering details. The committee adopted the second substitute and recommended HB 144 favorably; one proposed amendment to restore a procedural post‑election appointment step failed but the bill moved forward with the policy language ensuring parent majorities.