Rep. Jim Jonas, center, listens during a House floor hearing on Jan. 14, 2025. Seated to his left is Rep. David Richter and to his right is Rep. Don Vigesaa. Jonas is the sponsor of a bill affecting distance learning guidelines. (Mary Steurer/North Dakota Monitor)
A provision that would require parents to pay for online classes that a student fails is a deal-breaker for the agency that provides curriculum for virtual learning in North Dakota.
The House Education Committee heard testimony Tuesday on House Bill 1105 that would allow districts to provide more guidelines on which students can use online classes.
Alyssa Martin, state director for the Center for Distance Education. (Provided)
Alyssa Martin, state director for the Center for Distance Education, said she did not have an issue with most of the bill’s language, but said asking parents or guardians to pay for a course that a student fails is deeply concerning.
She said the same policy for traditional in-person classes would lead to “outrage” and urged lawmakers to amend the bill. She said some of the families using online education are already dealing with physical or mental health issues, bullying at school, and housing challenges.
Martin’s testimony came after several school administrators and education officials testified in favor of the bill, outlining how there has been increased enrollment in online K-12 classes but with some students not taking the courses seriously.
Bismarck Century High School Principal Steve Madler said some students are enrolling in online courses to continue to be full-time students but with no intention of passing the class.
Even if a student fails an online class, the district is required to pay to provide that course.
Rep. Jim Jonas, R-West Fargo, the lead sponsor of the bill, said it was needed to address unintended consequences of giving students more freedom to choose online courses under House Bill 1376 in the 2023 session.
Jonas, a former teacher and football coach in West Fargo, said his proposal is not an attack on distance learning but an effort to give administrators guardrails to ensure that students are making good use of the online option.
He said some students switch to an online class after failing a test or because they don’t like the teacher or they think the online class might be easier.
Bill supporters said there are no restrictions on when a student can switch to the online course, potentially putting them behind schedule or at risk of not graduating.
The bill would allow school districts to develop their own policies on student access to online courses.
Madler said Century has gone from 80 to 90 students taking online courses to about 185.
“Over the course of the last year, we saw a significant decrease in the number of students being successful,” he said.
In the previous five years when students needed school approval to take an online course, the failure rate was 3%, Madler said.
By comparison, the failure rate was 21% when students took online courses without the endorsement of administrators.
More 2025 legislative session coverage
Michael Heilman, executive director for the North Dakota Small Organized Schools, testified in support of the bill.
Distance learning allows smaller districts to offer a greater variety of classes but his organization also has seen a trend of students using online courses as “the path of least resistance.”
He said parents are not always aware that the student has switched to an online course.
Martin said she believed administrators still had the ability to set guidelines for students under the bill passed in 2023 but was not opposed to providing more clarity.
But she said adding a financial barrier goes too far.
“We don’t think that’s appropriate,” she said.
The committee did not act on the bill Tuesday.
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