HB 4031: Implements Program to Decrease Rates of School Absenteeism

 HB 4031: Directs Chief Education Office to design and implement $5.7 million pilot program to decrease rates of school absenteeism through " trauma-informed approach" to behavioral health services in schools.

Fiscal Responsibility: Beginning with $5.7 million for the PILOT, the state is working toward a state-wide in-school counselling system which would cost many times $5.7 million. Where funding for education is already too restricted, this will in the end come to an enormous chunk of the state education related budget.

Local Control: At the pilot stage there will be significant local control.  Judging from all these programs, as the mandate becomes state–wide it will be state controlled.

Free Markets: There are free market solutions to these problems in the private market economy.  In addition with required parity for mental health in Obamacare and Medicaid, such treatment is already available to most families.

Personal Responsibility: This program will greatly diminish parental responsibility for teaching good behavior, and it will greatly undermine the students'responsibility to be personally responsible for his or her behavior. Also the  bill claims that the science for treating trauma is “evidenced based” and cannot be called into question. Hence, a parent disagreeing with the schools approach is likely to be ignored.

Limited Government:  This represents a very big expansion of government’s responsibility for raising children and it further erodes parental and even teacher power to require good behavior