S.F. No. 26 Summary

• Amends school procurement procedures to exclude information systems software from competitive bidding requirements and extends contract terms for transportation and fuel services to ten years.

• Requires school districts to identify students not reading at grade level by end of grade 2 and screen for dyslexia characteristics; mandates vaping prevention instruction in grades 6-8 and encourages it in grades 9-12.

• Adds mental illness and suicide prevention training requirements to teacher license renewal and modifies Tier 1 license renewal conditions effective July 1, 2021.

• Establishes procedures for school districts to collect and transport unclaimed prescription drugs, with controlled substances requiring law enforcement involvement.

• Prohibits disciplinary dismissals for preschool and prekindergarten students except when serious safety threats exist; requires non-exclusionary discipline approaches and extends early learning scholarship program eligibility to July 1, 2024.