Law and Government Legislation regarding 'Elementary education' in Federal Government

Acknowledges and commends charter schools and their students, parents, teachers, and administrators across the country for their ongoing contributions to education and the public school system.

Supports the ninth annual National Charter Schools Week.

Commends the Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District in Los Angeles, California, for allowing a rehearing of the decision in the In re Rachel L. case, requiring parents to hold a teaching license in order to legally homeschool their children.

Calls upon the court to uphold the U.S. Supreme Court's opinion that parents have a fundamental and constitutional right to direct the upbringing and education of their children.

Designates April 2008 as National Autism Awareness Month. Expresses support for increasing federal funding for autism research.

Stresses the need to begin early intervention services soon after an individual has been diagnosed with autism.

Expresses support for the federal government funding 40% of the costs needed to educate children with disabilities.

Recognizes the shortage of appropriately trained teachers and the importance of worker training programs that meet the needs of developmentally disabled individuals.

Supports the designation of Destination ImagiNation Week. (Destination ImagiNation is a nonprofit organization promoting students' development of creativity, teamwork, and problem solving skills.)

Securing American Families by Educating and Training Youth (SAFETY) Through Nonviolence Act of 2008 - Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to state or local governments, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and faith-based entities to prevent or alleviate the effects of community violence by educating, mentoring, and counseling youth regarding the principles and application of nonviolence in conflict resolution.

Gives grant priority to applicants that agree to use the funds in communities experiencing an increase in violence, but lacking the resources to address violence prevention.

International Education Leadership Act of 2008 - Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to establish, in the Department of Education, an Office of International and Foreign Language Education, headed by an Assistant Secretary for International and Foreign Language Education with extensive experience in international and foreign language instruction.

Makes the Assistant Secretary responsible for: (1) promoting the study of foreign languages and cultures at the elementary, secondary, and postsecondary levels; (2) administering the Department's programs on international and foreign language education and research, and its activities in international affairs; and (3) coordinating such programs with other related federal programs.

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Recognizes the goals of Catholic Schools Week, an event cosponsored by the National Catholic Educational Association and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops that recognizes the vital contributions of thousands of Catholic elementary and secondary schools in the United States.

Commends Catholic schools, students, parents, and teachers for their ongoing contributions to education and the future of this country.

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Honors the contributions of school counselors to the success of students in our elementary and secondary schools.

Encourages the observation of National School Counseling Week (February 4-8, 2008) with ceremonies and activities that promote awareness of the crucial role school counselors play in preparing students for fulfilling lives as contributing members of society.

Educational Immunity Act of 2005 [sic] - Absolves from civil liability in federal court any educator or school administrator in a public or private pre-K-12 school for any act or omission in the course and scope of employment, except for liability under a contract or for criminal conduct.

Enhancing Teaching Standards and License Portability Act of 2007 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award a competitive grant to a partnership between an organization representing state educational agency administrators and one or more independent professional organizations that have teacher preparation, licensure, and assessment expertise to: (1) enhance kindergarten through grade 12 teaching standards; (2) develop performance-based teaching assessments that are linked to such standards and can be used for licensing; and (3) provide technical assistance and matching subgrants to states to adopt such teaching standards and assessments, align their licensing systems to such standards, and facilitate teacher license portability across the states.

Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to transfer funds from other programs to the Impact Aid program (which compensates local educational agencies (LEAs) for the financial burden of federal activities affecting their areas) if such funds are needed to provide full payments under such program to LEAs whose areas are at least 50% federally owned.

Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to transfer funds from other programs to the Impact Aid program (which compensates local educational agencies (LEAs) for the financial burden of federal activities affecting their areas) to the extent such funds are needed to provide payments to LEAs under such program that equal at least the maximum amount for which they are eligible multiplied by the percentage of their land that is federally owned.

Directs the Secretary of Education to provide informational and monetary assistance to public school districts to thwart the spread of certain drug resistant pathogens among students in kindergarten through grade 12.

Josh Miller Helping Everyone Access Responsive Treatment in Schools Act of 2007, or the Josh Miller HEARTS Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award matching grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to: (1) purchase automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for use in their schools; and/or (2) provide training to meet the requirement that at least five adult employees or volunteers at each school with an AED successfully complete training in its use and in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Requires LEA grant applicants also to demonstrate that: (1) the AEDs are integrated into the schools' medical emergency response procedures; and (2) emergency services personnel are notified of their locations.

School Choice for Foster Kids Act - Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to authorize states to use funds provided under the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence program to provide vouchers to foster children of all ages to cover their elementary and secondary private school tuition and public school transportation costs.

Phylicia's Law - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require local educational agencies applying for funds under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program to require schools sponsoring off-premises overnight field trips to develop, and provide to parents whose children are to be taken on such trips, written safety plans that include: (1) policies on curfews, room checks, and chaperone qualifications; and (2) emergency procedures to be followed when a serious injury or death occurs.

Flu Vaccine Availability Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a demonstration project providing influenza vaccinations to all kindergarten through grade eight students in one or more low-income metropolitan schools for the purpose of studying and reducing any socioeconomic disparities in the provision of such vaccinations.

Maximizing the Use of Federal Education Funds for Job Creation Act of 2007 - Authorizes states with unemployment rates that equal or exceed 125% of the national unemployment rate to consolidate or transfer, without limitation, any funds made available to them from specified formula grant programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

Youth Exchange Support Act of 2007- Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase, from $50 to $200 per month, the tax deduction for the expenses of certain students living in a taxpayer's household; and (2) provide an inflation adjustment, beginning in 2009, for such amount.

Assessment Accuracy and Improvement Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow states to require the use of adaptive assessments of student progress toward state academic performance standards that accurately assess student achievement above and below grade level while also measuring grade-level performance.

Defines an "adaptive assessment" as one that changes in difficulty in accordance with a student's performance, but reports its outcome on a scale common to all students.

Clean Energy Partnership Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Energy to provide grants to local educational agencies covering up to 50% of their costs in implementing clean energy projects that include measures to conserve energy and equip school buildings for renewable power sources.

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Recognizes that bullying of school-aged children is a national concern and unhealthy for our families and communities.

Commends national and community organizations, schools, parents, recreation programs, and religious institutions for promoting greater public awareness about bullying and bullying prevention activities.

Supports the goals of National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week.

Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to establish a National Resource Center for Positive Youth Development and School Success that assists state and local educational agencies, schools, parent-teacher associations, and community groups in incorporating developmental assets, supports, and strengths into existing educational programs.

Recognizes the importance of increasing the foster youth high school graduation rate.

Expresses concern that such rate is currently too low.

Supports efforts to improve such rate, including increased coordination between child welfare and educational agencies.