Blizzard Outside.  No Blizzard of Activity at the Capitol.  It was a relatively quiet day at the Capitol.  Bills were introduced during the respective floor sessions and there was one hearing.  The Senate E-12 Funding Committee covered Minnesota's character education statute (MS 120B.232) hearing from Director of the Caux Roundtable Steve Young and Center of the American Experiment Fellow Katherine Kersten.  Young's testimony centered on the need for character education and the wealth of resource material available for teachers and administrators who implement a character education program.  Kersten's testimony centered on Edina's character education program that has come under scrutiny from a number of quarters.  Below is a link to an editorial Kersten wrote for the Minneapolis StarTribune from October, 2017, that provides a decent description of the framework of the arguments contained in her testimony today:

Racial identity policies are ruining Edina's fabled schools

Bill Introductions

Senate

SF 2907--Cwodzinski--Addresses school safety and student support, including modifications to crisis management information.

SF 2920--Pratt--Provides for nonexclusionary student discipline policies and practices.

SF 2938--Abeler--Sets state guidelines for school start times.

SF 2993--Bigham--Requires school threat assessment and oversight committees.

SF 3012--Pratt--Modifies education partnership program.

SF 3013--Eichorn--Modifies eligibility for early childhood scholarship program.

SF 3017--Pratt--Amends safe schools levy to include costs related to medication disposal.

SF 3020--Abeler--Increases safe schools levy and authorizes revenue to be used on cyber security purposes.

House

HF 3302--Quam--Authorizes arming of teachers.

HF 3305--Pryor--Creates process to combine district and charter school programs.

HF 3306--Pryor--Authorizes an additional facilities levy for Hopkins school district.

HF 3315--Erickson--Omnibus education policy bill.

HF 3320--Loon--Allows Long Term Facilities Maintenance Revenue to be used for school safety facility improvements.

HF 3328--Kresha--Modifies eligibility for early childhood scholarships.

HF 3354--Haley--Modifies education partnership program.

HF 3361--Kunesh-Podein--Provides grants for substance abuse prevention.

HF 3365--Anselmo--Increases safe schools levy and allows revenue to be used for cyber security purposes.

HF 3370--Franke--Requires threat assessment teams and oversight committees.