FINAL BILL REPORT

                  SSB 6574

                           FULL VETO

                     As Passed Legislature

Brief Description:  Authorizing learning materials to be loaned to private school students.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Senators Johnson, Stevens, Wood, Winsley, Deccio, Schow, Oke, McCaslin, Rossi, Hochstatter, Swecker, Sellar, Morton, McDonald and Roach).

Senate Committee on Education

House Committee on Education

Background:  School districts may set policies for the selection, granting, and loaning of instructional materials to public school students.  School districts may also enter into joint purchasing agreements with private schools.

Summary:  The Legislature finds that:  (1) the state=s constitutional duty of educating Aall children@ includes the students of private schools; and (2) a significant number of private school students frequently move between private and public schools, resulting in the parents of these children paying for private and public school materials.

The laws governing private schools are expanded so that students attending state-approved private schools may receive learning materials loaned by the local school district.  To receive such loans, private schools must submit an annual request to the local school district.  The local school district may then enter into a loan agreement with the private school subject to certain guidelines, such as:

$Local school districts must make a good faith effort to accommodate loan requests.

$Loans are not limited because of a student=s economic status.

$Learning materials cannot promote nor deter sectarian or religious activities of the private school, nor may a private school request materials designed for religious instruction.

$ALearning materials@ means textbooks and workbooks.

$Private schools may not request loaned textbooks beyond the local school district=s official adoption list.

$Learning materials are always the property of the local school district.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) must adopt guidelines for the loan program.  No laws or rules adopted after January 1, 1998 may affect the autonomy of private schools because of learning materials support.  To assist the state in implementing the loan program, SPI may identify currently existing, nonsectarian, statewide private school organizations to act as liaisons for state-approved private schools interested in receiving learning materials.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate 32 16

House     58 40