Bill Description: Senate Bill 1070 establishes the “parent teach awareness program” to educate parents concerning the dangers of online activity faced by children. 

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Does it increase government spending (for objectionable purposes) or debt? Conversely, does it decrease government spending or debt?

Senate Bill 1070 requires the state department of education to develop and make available an “online parent tech awareness program” that covers:

• “The potential dangers inherent in the use of devices with internet capabilities, including but not limited to cellular phones and computers;
• The nature of online threats;
• The mechanisms required to, and the ways in which children, participate and engage in online activity that is a threat or risk to their safety; and
• Best practices and strategies for parents and legal guardians to protect students from threats and exploitation on the internet and on social media.”

The bill also requires parents to sign and return a form acknowledging their awareness of the program to their school district or charter school.

Promoting the safety of children on the internet is a noble goal and one of the most important topics for educating children in our modern age. However, it is questionable whether achieving that goal requires the creation of a new program managed by the state department of education. While the fiscal note for Senate Bill 1070 states that there is no fiscal impact, the bill’s text requires that the SDE “develop the online parent tech awareness program” itself or “may contract with a third-party entity for such development,” implying that there will be at least some minimal cost if in nothing else but man-hours. A better system would involve simply linking to pre-existing resources developed by nonprofits on the state department of education website. 

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