Legislators in discussion over a proposed Bill
Photo credit: Aaron Butler
By: Miranda Collette
Sen. Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City, is advocating SB37 titled, Statewide Online Education Program Revisions, which would change the online education programs in Utah to be both more available to students, and more publicly advertised to parents. The Senate Education Committee held the bill on Tuesday, Feb. 4.
The bill proposes that a description of what online courses are available at each district be included in a prominent location in the registration materials packet distributed to parents and students each school year.
Thatcher said believes by having that information included with the registration materials is the easiest, least intrusive and most cost effective method for ensuring that every parent and every student has access to information about what their schooling options are.
Opposition to the bill is centered on how far reaching the program currently is, and if expansion is needed. According to the Utah School's Website, most districts have less then one percent of students registered for online courses.
'If there were a greater number of people that knew what their options were or knew where to find that information, then that number would increase,' Thatcher said .