With the new 2017 Nebraska Legislature, new bills are on the floor.  Many of these bills affect students, as well as have two sides which to argue for.  Some of which to keep an eye on are the death penalty, school vouchers, and a physical restraint proposed for unruly students.

The Death Penalty

In the past election, Nebraska voted to repeal Referendum 426, which was to reinstate the death penalty in the state.  Nebraska is one of 32 states to have a death penalty, many states faced the same decision whether to retain or repeal a similar law.  In 2015, when Nebraska had rid of capital punishment, it had been a historic moment.  It was a first since 1973 that a conservative state had rid of the death penalty, the first belonging to North Dakota.  Opponents of the death penalty argue that the death penalty would lead to false convictions of innocents.  Many of which bring up the case of the Beatrice Six, a group that was wrongly convicted for killing and raping a woman in Beatrice in 1989.  Both sides have equal warrants for wanting or not wanting the death penalty.

School Vouchers

Another bill which is being discussed is school vouchers.  School vouchers are state-funded scholarships allowing students to go to a private school of choice instead of public.  In Nebraska the current bill, proposed by state senator Lou Ann Linehan, would allow students who currently go to low performing schools would be eligible for a scholarship to any open private school near them.  This bill though is faced with controversy.  Supporters of school vouchers argue that there is more flexibility in private schools, as well as individualistic standards compared to public schools.  Opponents of school vouchers believe that the vouchers take funding away from public school, as well as speculation over the violation of the separation of church and state.   To read more indepthly about this controversial matter, go to the article on school vouchers on page three.

Physical Restraints And Unruly Students

The bill is proposed by state senator Bill Groene which would allow teachers to be able to physically restrain, as well as remove disruptive students in a classroom.  Teachers also would have to give consent to allow students back into the classroom.  The bill would go as far as allowing teachers to subdue students who are physically violent to others, themselves, or property.  Speculation over this bill remains in the lack of safeguard, since no requirements of training are in place.