[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6086053,"mediaKeyId","2900428-cbd8f432ed5cad2949026cc606344e1f","parentId",2900428,"title","Committee adopts changes to teacher-notice rules, penalties and expulsion procedures; adds threat-specific expulsion option","audioSeconds",2253,"startMs",1007000,"endMs",3260000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2900428-cbd8f432ed5cad2949026cc606344e1f&start=1007&end=3260","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2900428-cbd8f432ed5cad2949026cc606344e1f/thumbnail_1007000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6086053/South-Carolina/Committee-adopts-changes-to-teacher-notice-rules-penalties-and-expulsion-procedures-adds-threat-specific-expulsion-option","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6086053-425009c10b90b8ae2bead11b4b3de548/orig.mp4?Expires=1770434447&Signature=Tcmo9qZklyGMjY1dGSNbzinW3iKdvlDtsWIXOYqP0oScGZcX4Tm3fTMxvGW4Skpf3GaCEvM92A8g3YsXWrSzQS1cf62upN4q-SHojpAZtZfm0-5azMpmpZeLxjjegYvBAVFHmpPBWxSDBDaiwh6CRRUQ8npl0yNWgVLBpsarUwqyzRZPgZXrjXe4Evlqa83CcL1rHbambUP~UCwX3kFCWxUkjNNoz2j7JF1soa~Deg~LbHw19wx0-WDEfWoqhWaa5AAiJSxStpsQbOadUmqcaoaMCueimTu~8TAtWZEqnnu3LIHQLYhHnLQ3LrYKy2Jz4zl1e-o3VCX8dhvG4YR1eQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","South Carolina Legislature","date","2025-04-08T00:00:00Z","article","The Senate Education Committee adopted a subcommittee report as amended that revises several school-administration and discipline provisions, including timelines and penalties tied to teacher-notice and reemployment rules and new language on expulsions for firearms and certain threats.

Donna Barton, committee staff, summarized the package of changes and the committee’s edits. Barton said the draft retains a one-year expulsion period for any student who brings a firearm to a school setting but makes that one-year term subject to case-by-case modification: if the hearing is conducted by the district board of trustees the board may modify the period; if the hearing is conducted by another authority, the district superintendent may modify it but the board must review and affirm any modification. Barton said: “We still have the 1 year for anybody who brings a firearm to a school setting.”

On teacher-notice and contract rules, committee staff and members discussed restoring current law that automatically reemploys a teacher if the board fails to notify a teacher by May 1, while adding a financial penalty for a board’s failure to meet new notification obligations. The committee reduced an earlier proposed penalty of $100,000 per occurrence to $10,000 per occurrence. Barton told the panel the reporting requirement and a delayed implementation date are intended to allow the Department of Education to collect baseline data and give districts time to comply; committee members said current law (notification by May 1) would remain in effect until July 1, 2026, when the new section would take effect.

Other technical changes adopted in committee include clarifying who may serve on governing boards in light of potential conflicts of interest, refining the definition of “teacher” and clarifying that the statute applies to those who “teach students in a classroom” (committee discussion suggested revising to “academic setting” to avoid ambiguity), and removing state and federal tax returns from certain disclosure requirements at a subcommittee member’s request.

The committee also adopted an amendment addressing threats: the panel added a new expulsion provision that allows the board to expel a student who communicates a threat to commit bodily harm by any letter, paper, writing, electronic communication or other communication intended to reach another person, for no more than one academic year. The amendment includes criteria that a reviewing authority must find — among other things — a reasonable expectation that the violent act would result and that the student has the capacity to carry out the threat. The committee debated balancing protections for victims and schools with concerns about overreach when students make nonactionable or impulsive statements.

Committee members approved the subcommittee report as amended by voice votes; recorded proxies voting aye included Senators Young, Johnson, Cash, Rankin, Peeler and Turner.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle"," Senate Education Committee -- Senate Education Full Committee April 8, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The committee adopted a subcommittee report and several amendments addressing teacher reemployment notices, a reduced financial penalty for noncompliance, sick-leave bank language, virtual-residency clarifications and revisions to expulsion procedures for firearms and serious threats.","taxTitle","Education, Standing, Senate, Committees, Legislative, South Carolina","taxId",17501,"location","South Carolina","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6086058,"Senate Education Committee advances charter school accountability measure",706,4000,710000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2900428-cbd8f432ed5cad2949026cc606344e1f&start=4&end=710","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2900428-cbd8f432ed5cad2949026cc606344e1f/thumbnail_4000.jpg","/articles/6086058/South-Carolina/Senate-Education-Committee-advances-charter-school-accountability-measure","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6086058-aa97b8c47e6baf7f4327179595ee7b0a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770434447&Signature=AFoX7I--AgJyusbqp0xr6iSBqRkGPP2lcrjXBbGlUSaq-RNLjYyS6XgiodBk4yPNFtHPTcuP03ArN5d-L5P4psFJ1TedIjuCz5-9W7hKm4b0nrrkfPKikIj1oYnVWjvmqQBDry4kDwLuNfnBJIu1Y1AHOTZm2tjUIpugk0IvWTsLB6MbazYgwDPWtoMcW3Bmh9A3fJ91mBbh21-jsXkSL2Z-72s-hlrVmbJIZkonz0a2voIW27C0OeJfnOFabSfHoaVI9swwFzS0dbTQH8~9CWxP2QBaNrcuwEaJ8RG33CdaBgFC-Q-Hg5YeY-E2~40ahWwoBGFA3mN0m--Pr2BWfw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Education Committee on an unspecified date voted to adopt a subcommittee amendment to S 4 54, a bill described in committee as addressing charter school accountability by updating terminology, strengthening authorizer duties and increasing public financial transparency.

The measure would require charter schools to post annual audits, budgets and any executed or amended management-organization contracts on their websites, and would require authorizers to post authorizer budgets showing revenues, expenditures and fees. The Department of Education would annually review authorizer policies and procedures for compliance with state and federal law, issue notices of concern with timelines for corrections, and — in some cases — terminate an authorizer’s registration.

Katie Grinstead, legislative staff who presented the bill, told the committee: “Section 2 of the bill deals with the charter school responsibilities. It updates terminology and would require that a charter school post their annual audit on their website and notify and provide a copy of any executed or amended management organization contracts to the authorizer and post them on their website as well.” Grinstead also explained that the subcommittee amendment added posting of annual budgets and clarified that charter schools must adhere to the same financial laws and regulations required of traditional public schools.

The bill revises several definitions and authorizer duties: it combines terms for different types of charter-management entities into a single “management organization” definition; it adds a definition for replication of charter schools and for nonprofit associations directly affiliated with public institutions of higher learning as potential authorizers; and it treats charter board members as public members under ethics and government accountability rules. The subcommittee amendment changed language about notices of problems to use the term “noncompliance” and restored a 30-day response period for schools that receive written notice of perceived academic or fiscal problems.

The subcommittee amendment removed a provision that would have required authorizers to provide corrective technical assistance at no cost, citing concerns about requiring an authorizer to pay for corrective work when a charter school may have misspent funds or failed to deliver special-education services. The measure also clarifies that an authorizer may retain up to 2% of nonrestricted state appropriations and that public or independent institutions of higher learning may likewise retain or contract to retain 2% of those nonrestricted state appropriations.

Grinstead said the bill would require the Department to develop a streamlined transfer application for schools whose authorizer status is terminated so they could continue operating under a new authorizer. Committee staff noted that terminating the South Carolina Public Charter School District’s authorizing authority would require separate statutory change because that district is a creature of statute.

Committee members thanked subcommittee members and staff for work on the bill, then moved and passed a motion to adopt the committee amendment as the working document. The motion carried with voice vote; the committee recorded proxies voting aye for Senators Johnson, Young, Elliot, Cash, Rankin and Peeler.

The committee also considered two further amendments offered before sending the bill forward: an anti–conflict-of-interest amendment that would bar individuals whose spouse, immediate family member or the individual is a full or part owner, principal or employee of a management organization from serving on a charter-school or authorizer governing board; and a definitional amendment to clarify the residency and instructional requirements for virtual charter schools, specifying at least 25% in-person instruction in core areas per regulation 43 6 0 1 and that students attending virtual charter schools must be South Carolina residents as defined in section 59 63 30. Both amendments were adopted by the committee.

The committee chair indicated the subcommittee amendment, as amended, would be sent to the floor for further consideration.

","The Senate Education Committee adopted a subcommittee amendment to S 4 54 that tightens oversight of charter authorizers, requires public posting of audits, budgets and management contracts, and gives the Department of Education power to review and, in some cases, terminate authorizers.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee adopts changes to teacher-notice rules, penalties and expulsion procedures; adds threat-specific expulsion option

Senate Education Committee advances charter school accountability measure