Legislative Session Efforts by OCEC

 SB 197 Sexual Harassment in Private Schools

OUTCOME: Successfully worked with Senator 

Prozanski and other stakeholders to amend SB 197 to protect private school teachers.

SB 223 State Board of Education to adopt rules for the registration of private schools.

OUTCOME: Coordinated efforts in opposition led to the bill dying in the Senate Committee on Education.

SB 236 Prohibiting early child care programs from expelling any child enrolled in their program.  

OUTCOME: Amendments eliminated early concepts such as dispute resolution between parents and providers on behalf of a child, a waiver allowing a program to expel a child.

HB 2546 The right to bring a legal action for an injunction against a school that has not complied with Oregon statute regarding school sexual

harassment policies. 

OUTCOME: HB 2546 received a public hearing but did not advance.

HB 2937 Bias Incident Cause of Action. HB 2937 allows a student that has experienced harassment or discrimination that is motivated by their race, religion, sexual orientation, etc., during a school- sponsored activity or on school provided transportation to bring a legal claim against the school district for negligence in preventing such an incident from occurring.

OUTCOME: HB 2937 received a public hearing but did not advance. 

Public School ICE Response Plan (HB 4079): Requires Oregon school districts and public higher education institutions to adopt policies outlining how they respond when federal immigration authorities enter school property for enforcement purposes. The bill requires procedures for confirming the presence of immigration officials, notifying appropriate administrators, and providing regular staff training. It also grants liability protections for school employees who follow these policies and requires public universities to define campus boundaries and report certain information related to enforcement incidents. 

OUTCOME: Passed. We watched this bill for any application to private Christian schools.

Teaching with Play-Based Learning (SB 1596): Directs the Oregon State Board of Education to allow play-based learning to count toward required instructional time for elementary school students. Under current rules, instructional time must consist of structured learning activities supervised by a licensed teacher, but the bill clarifies that play-based educational activities may also qualify. The measure is intended to support teaching methods that incorporate play to improve student engagement and learning outcomes in early grades. 

OUTCOME: Passed. We watched this bill for any application to private Christian schools.