Education

The act makes changes and clarifications in the provisions related to the department of early childhood (department). The act:Eliminates the scheduled repeal of licensing exemptions for certain in-home child care arrangements in which the children are related to the caregiver, are siblings, or number fewer than five;Updates provisions related to early care and education provider reimbursement for services performed before final eligibility determinations in the Colorado child care assistance program;Lowers the age limit for children served by the early childhood mental health consultation program from 8 years old to 6 years old and adjusts that program's reporting requirements;Clarifies the sources of money appropriated to the universal preschool program;Requires the department to keep confidential identifying records and facts regarding children and their relatives;Clarifies that child care facilities approved, certified, or licensed by tribal governments are exempt from the department's licensing rules; andAdjusts the membership requirements and duties of the early childhood leadership commission and subcommittee membership requirements for the rules advisory council.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The bill creates a working group to make findings and recommendations concerning how to implement the college opportunity fund for persons who are incarcerated in Colorado, including whether fee-for-service contracts for participating institutions of higher education need to be modified. The bill requires the working group to report its findings and recommendations to the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate on or before December 1, 2026.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The act requires that school districts test the vision of students in pre-kindergarten, in addition to testing the vision of students in kindergarten and the first, second, third, fifth, seventh, and ninth grades.     The act updates terminology by replacing the word 'sight' with the word 'vision'.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The bill requires public schools to provide information to staff, students, and parents or guardians about the safe2tell program. School districts and charter schools are required to create written policy regarding safety reports and other policies related to student safety.The department of public safety is required to create a model message relating to the safe storage of firearms, preventing youth access to firearms, cybersecurity, and online safety. A school district shall annually distribute the model message to families.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The 2025 general appropriations act is amended to balance and make adjustments to the total amount appropriated to the department of education. The general fund portion of the appropriation is decreased, and the cash funds, reappropriated funds, and federal funds portions are increased.     Amends House Bill 25-1278, concerning modifications to the statewide education accountability system, to further appropriate the amount appropriated to the department to implement the act to the 2026-27 fiscal year.     Amends Senate Bill 25-214, concerning reimbursements for eligible meals provided through the healthy school meals for all program, to transfer the appropriation for the healthy school meals for all program from the cash funds to a fund created in the healthy school meals for all program statute. The amount for school meal reimbursements is increased.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires that an applicant for a teacher license disclose misdemeanor convictions that occurred in the last 7 years, except traffic misdemeanors, unless:The misdemeanor was committed against an at-risk person or a child; or The department of education has specified that the misdemeanor is grounds for denial, annulment, suspension, or revocation of a license, certificate, endorsement, or authorization.     The act requires that an applicant for a teacher license disclose any misdemeanor conviction in the 2 above categories, regardless of the date of conviction.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act clarifies that an educational institution denies a person the full and equal enjoyment of a place of public accommodation when the educational institution:On the basis of a protected class, excludes a student from participation in, denies a student the benefits of, or otherwise subjects a student to discrimination in any of the educational institution's programs or activities;Denies educational services, benefits, or opportunities to a student or group of students by treating them differently from a similarly situated student who is, or group of students who are, part of a different subgroup of students within the same protected class; orHas actual notice that a hostile environment based on a protected class exists at the educational institution but fails to take prompt and effective steps reasonably calculated to eliminate the hostile environment, end the harassment that gave rise to the hostile environment, and prevent the harassment from recurring.     The act adds pregnancy and parental status as characteristics that may constitute a protected class for the purpose of 'harassment or discrimination' at an elementary or secondary public school.     The act requires each public institution of higher education (institution) to designate an individual to serve as the Title VI coordinator for the institution. The Title VI coordinator is responsible for ensuring the institution's compliance with the requirements of Title VI of the federal 'Civil Rights Act of 1964', enforcing the institution's Title VI grievance procedures, identifying institutional issues related to Title VI compliance, and aggregating and making publicly available data about alleged violations of Title VI at the institution.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires school districts and charter schools to adopt, implement, and post on their websites an achieving community commitment to equitable school success (ACCESS) policy, on or before July 1, 2027, that directs resources and supports toward at-risk students. The act describes what the required policy may include, such as partnerships with community organizations, wraparound services, after-school programs, and tutoring.     School districts and charter schools that are participating in a performance, improvement, priority improvement, or turnaround plan that directs resources and supports to at-risk students satisfies the ACCESS policy requirements and shall post the plan on the school or school district's website.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Compared to what was anticipated when appropriations were established in the 2025 regular legislative session for the 2025-26 budget year, the general assembly finds that for the 2025-26 budget year the actual funded pupil count and the at-risk pupil count are lower than anticipated; the local share of total program funding is higher than anticipated; and therefore, the general assembly intends to decrease the state share of districts' total program funding by $103,472,508 for the 2025-26 budget year.     Under current law, there are 2 total program formulas to finance public schools, commonly referred to as the old formula and the new formula. For the 2025-26 budget year, a district's total program is the greater of:The district's total program amount for the 2024-25 budget year; orThe amount calculated for the 2025-26 budget year under the old formula plus an amount equal to 15% of the difference between the amounts calculated between the old formula and the new formula.     The act clarifies that for the 2025-26 budget year, if the calculation under the new formula is less than the calculation under the old formula, then that district's total program for the 2025-26 budget year is the greater of:The district's total program amount for the 2024-25 budget year; orThe amount calculated for the 2025-26 budget year under the old formula.     The act reduces appropriations to the department of education for the 2025-26 budget year by $103,472,508.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

If the state voluntarily elects to participate in a federal program that provides a tax credit for a qualified contribution to a scholarship granting organization, the bill requires the state to include all eligible scholarship granting organizations on its list identifying scholarship granting organizations to the federal government.If a school enrolls a student whose education-related expenses are paid, in whole or in part, by a scholarship granting organization, the bill requires the school to comply with nondiscrimination requirements and laws concerning students with disabilities.If the school that is subject to these requirements violates a requirement, the school is subject to an injunction and may have its eligibility to receive money for a student whose education-related expenses are paid by a scholarship granting organization suspended.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)