You asked for a brief summary of bills the Education Committee reported favorably to the Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee.

SSB 1061 AN ACT CONCERNING ADEQUATE ACOUSTICAL CONDITIONS IN CLASSROOMS

This bill requires that school building projects for classrooms or other spaces where students learn that are approved by the general assembly on or after July 1, 2005 be constructed or altered in accordance with the American National Standard for acoustical performance criteria, design requirements, and guidelines for schools. The bill provides an exemption for situations where adequate acoustical modifications cannot be made without compromising the health and safety, or the educational purpose or function of the space.

Additionally, the bill allows local or regional boards to apply to the education commissioner for a waiver of the requirements for relocatable classrooms that will be used by the same school for less than 36 months. The commissioner must grant the waiver if the board provides evidence that they held a public hearing on the effects the required acoustical standards might have on a student’s ability to learn and provided notice about the hearing to parents, students, and teachers.

Effective Date: July 1, 2005

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