Education

LB 84 adopts the School Psychologist Interstate Licensure Compact, allowing Nebraska-licensed school psychologists to practice in other participating states without duplicative licensing requirements. This directly affects school psychologists seeking to work across state lines, including military members and their spouses who relocate frequently. The key mechanism establishes a standardized pathway for verifying qualifications and issuing equivalent licenses, while requiring practitioners to follow each state's specific scope of practice rules. This aims to improve access to school psychological services by addressing workforce shortages through increased professional mobility.

LB 143 amends Nebraska's student enrollment law to extend military family enrollment protections to students with disabilities or special education needs. It requires school districts to apply their existing preliminary enrollment policies for military families - including no-charge enrollment upon arrival - to students with individualized education programs (IEPs), individualized family service plans (IFSPs), or those receiving special education services under federal law. This ensures military-connected students who require special education accommodations have equal enrollment access during relocations. The change directly affects military families with children who have disabilities or special education needs, streamlining their school enrollment process without altering other residency rules.

LB 296 requires Nebraska's State Department of Education to create a centralized system for tracking education records of students under juvenile court jurisdiction, ensuring their academic progress isn't disrupted during court involvement. The bill mandates hiring registrars to manage these records, analyze completed coursework, and award appropriate credit hours for students who finish classes while in the juvenile system. It also updates graduation requirements to include mandatory personal finance courses (starting 2023-24) and computer science education (starting 2027-28). The centralized system and registrars will be funded through the State Department of Education Improvement Grant Fund.