Tagged: Parent Trigger

A bill giving parents more of a say in the fate of failing public schools has failed in the Senate on a dramatic, tied vote. It’s the second year in a row the Senate has killed the bill.

An amendment by Republican Senator David Simmons stayed intact, giving local school boards, not the state board of education, the final say on the fate of failing public schools. It was meant to ease concerns over a potential loss of local authority. But that wasn’t enough to sway bill opponents to vote for the bill.

The controversial “parent trigger” or "parent empowerment" bill, has cleared its final committee stop in the Senate with a major change. Opponents say an amendment tacked onto the bill Thursday makes the proposal much better, and  it also may have watered down the bill.