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2022 SESSION

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HB 1246 School divisions, local; work group to recommend ways to procure accessible digital tools.

Introduced by: Kathy K.L. Tran | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles | history

SUMMARY AS PASSED HOUSE:

Public elementary and secondary schools; students; digital tools; accessibility. Requires the Department of Education to convene a work group to provide input and recommendations to the Department of Education, the Board of Education, and the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2022, regarding (i) ways in which school divisions can effectively identify and receive responsive and responsible bids from vendors to procure digital tools, including online platforms, courses, digital applications, information and communication technology services, and digital content, that comply with the federal accessibility standard and (ii) any statutory or regulatory changes that may assist school divisions to procure such digital tools that comply with such standard.

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

Public elementary and secondary schools; students; digital tools; accessibility. Adds several provisions relating to the accessibility of each digital tool, defined in the bill as an online platform, a course, a digital application, information and communication technology services, and digital content, to be used in the instruction of public elementary and secondary school students, including requiring (i) the Department of Education to establish and revise when necessary guidelines for local school divisions that govern the purchase of accessible digital tools to be used in student instruction and (ii) except in certain limited circumstances, the procurement process utilized by each local school division for the purchase of a digital tool initiated on or after September 1, 2022, to require (a) the digital tool procured to meet or exceed the Department's standards; (b) each digital tool vendor to submit a voluntary product accessibility template prepared by a third-party professional accessibility tester to demonstrate how the digital tool conforms to the Department's standards and to remedy any nonconforming digital tool within 180 days of receipt of notice of such nonconformity from the local school division at any time during the term of the contract; and (c) each digital tool vendor to indemnify the local school board for liability resulting from the use of a procured digital tool that fails to meet the relevant federal accessibility standard, including nonvisual access.