Time to House Some New Bills

Emory Anderson
Staff Writer
  Over the last few months, multiple new bills have passed that will affect D93. Bill 1329, more commonly known as the Band-Aid Law, explains that those under the age of 18 need parental consent before being able to access most medical care. Bill 538, also known as the name and pronoun law,requires minors who prefer to go by another name and/or pronoun to receive parent permission first. This means that if someone has a preferred nickname, they can not be called that nickname until the school receives permission from their guardian.
  When talking to Justin Jolley, the new head principal at Bonneville High School, he offered more insight regarding how parents, students, and teachers may be impacted by these changes. For parents, the school district sent out emails where they had to provide consent for their child to receive first aid or other essential medical care. At the school board meeting on September 11, 2024, it was reported that 90% of parents had responded. Jolley mentioned that out of the 13,000 adolescents in the district, roughly 100 parents chose to deny first-aid being administered to their child. With all of the responses, the school board is still waiting to hear back from around 3000. The only extra work that will be there is following up on the children whose parents have not responded to the consent form. As for teachers, the school board and district have stated that Band-Aids can be left out for students to use, but teachers should not give them directly to students. Unless the teacher provides the Band-Aid or any medical attention, it would not be considered first aid. Once a student has help from a teacher, it becomes first aid. With how things are going, the medical field will continue to change due to the fact that state law does not always match up with federal law. These changes will affect Woolstenhulme more than the classroom because he "[has] an ethical responsibility to inform our staff members about these law[s] and the expectation that we comply with all laws relating to [education]” Even with the new bill put in place, there is a law that gives individuals the power “to provide lifesaving measures.” This outweighs what bill 1329 says.
Woolstenhulme mentioned that when Bill 538 was first heard, it was in the February House State Affairs Committee. According to Woolstenhulme, this was unusual because new bills "should be heard in the Education Committee and not the State Affairs." Not much more information is known to Woolstenhulme, however “[he] believe[s] this was a political move intended to bypass the House Education Committee.” To obtain more information, an email was sent to the superintendent, Scott Woolstenhulme. He commented on Bill 1329 and mentioned that since “[t]his law is directed to medical providers, so we schools [were] not informed about this bill until after it went into effect in July. 
  As of now, Bill 1329 may put teachers and staff in a difficult position when it comes to whether or not they can help an injured student. Woolstenhulme has concerns, such as “being a coach and having a player injured.” Coaches may not be able to tend to that injury immediately since they may not have parent permission to administer aid. These laws, according to Woolstenhulme, may “harm positive relationships between our teachers and staff members and our kids.” It is essential that teachers and coaches obtain parental consent before providing care for non-threatening injuries and illnesses.