1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 82nd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2024 Regular Session Senate Bill 1534 Sponsored by Senator ROBINSON (Presession filed.) SUMMARY The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject to consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor’s brief statement of the essential features of the measure as introduced.The statement includes a measure digest written in compliance with applicable readability standards. Digest: Allows districts and schools to hire people who are not teachers to teach reading. (Flesch Readability Score: 77.8). Allows a school district, an education service district or a public charter school to employ a person who is not licensed or registered with the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission to teach reading to students. Declares an emergency, effective on passage. A BILL FOR AN ACT Relating to reading instruction; and declaring an emergency. Whereas reading is most effectively taught one-on-one and can be easily taught by a parent or any other capable individual; and Whereas Oregon has thousands of homeschool parents who have effectively taught reading to their children and also could teach public school students; and Whereas about one hour of individual instruction each day for approximately six months can provide a child with necessary reading skills; and Whereas once a child starts reading for fun, the child simply needs to read more in order to improve reading skills; now, therefore, Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon: SECTION 1. (1) Notwithstanding ORS 342.173, a school district, an education service dis- trict or a public charter school may employ any person who is not licensed or registered with the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission to teach reading to students. (2) Employment of a person to teach reading is solely at the discretion of a district or school. A district or school may prescribe any requirements for the employment of a person to teach reading. (3) A person employed to teach reading as provided by this section is not considered a teacher for purposes of state or federal law. SECTION 2.This 2024 Act being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, an emergency is declared to exist, and this 2024 Act takes effect on its passage. NOTE:Matter in boldfaced type in an amended section is new; matter [italic and bracketed] is existing law to be omitted. New sections are in boldfaced type. LC 185