That obstacle, Gov. Jay Nixon, who must sign the bill in order for it to go into effect, is making no commitments on whether he will do so:
But Nixon was noncommittal Friday when asked if he would sign the new measure, saying he wanted to talk with teachers and local school boards before making a decision.
A judge placed Missouri's law on hold shortly before it was to take effect Aug. 28, declaring that "the breadth of the prohibition is staggering" and the law "would have a chilling effect" on free-speech rights guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.
Shortly after the judge's order, Nixon added the online communications law to the agenda of a special session that began Sept. 6. Nixon's written message to lawmakers specifically limited them to repealing the law, but lawmakers decided to also make districts develop their own policies. That's part of the reason why Nixon is pausing before signing the bill.
"It would appear that they've gone in a broader focus than what my intent was when we brought folks to town" for a special session, Nixon said.
With the new law stating that all Missouri school districts must have a teacher-student communication policy in place by March 1, 2012, the question appears to be, is this really putting the issue in the hands of local school boards, administrators, and teachers, or if it is turning the task over to the Missouri School Boards Association, which writes policy for most Missouri schools.
It seems hard to believe Mrs. Cunningham would have signed off on this "fix" if it really gave teachers input into the policies.
1 comment:
Since when does the governor dictate to the General Assembly what laws they shall pass? The governor's function is to either sign or veto legislation, not demand that the assembly pass something on his wish list.
Regardless of who does this task, there will be restrictions against private electronic communications by teachers to minor students without the supervision of parents and school supervisors. This restriction will at the very least carry the penalty of termination of the errant teacher's contract and license to teach. This law's revision simply takes it out of the hands of the state and sends it down to the local, school board level.
I think that in lieu of not having any bill to sign and leaving the law as it now stands, Jay Nixon will sign it as 'better something than nothing.'
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