Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1096861
AEA Legislative Action Links Find out more about AEA's legislative victories on our website. SPRING 2019 | ADVOCATE 5 at the capitol O n February 14, 2019, Governor Doug Ducey signed Senate Bill (SB) 1014 into law after it passed unanimously from the Arizona Legislature. This bill is long overdue and years in the making. SB1014 will remove the restrictive four-hour block on English Language Learner (ELL) instruction and allow school districts the flexibility to use research-based instruction models. AEA has been part of the stakeholder process working with Senator Paul Boyer and Representative Michelle Udall on this legislation because Arizona's current ELL instruction model is not effective in teaching students English and sets our students back in other core subjects. AEA Vice President Marisol Garcia testified on behalf of AEA's bill in the Senate Education Committee, "We know that this bill will allow our education professionals to do what they have been hired to do – to work with parents, work with research, and to do the best thing for each individual students … I am very excited to see this bill passed and to give local education agencies the control to work with parents, educators, and the research to do what's best for these kids so they can continue to grow." Mesa Education Association member Amethyst Hinton Sainz has taught English in Arizona for 24 years and also testified in support of AEA's bill, "Any school with an SEI program faces limited flexibility with time and personnel and the rigid structure results in virtual, if not complete, segregation of our students … Without building a rich tapestry of background knowledge, English Language Learners will fall behind in areas other than English and will lack the conceptual knowledge on which to hang their language. Without any flexibility, these gaps will only grow each year." Victory for ELL Students: AEA Bill Passes arizonaea.org/takeaction Take action on bills impacting education arizonaea.org/bills Check out AEA's Bill Watch List arizonaea.org/legislativeupdate Watch the latest video update from AEA Government Relations Director Stephanie Parra and subscribe to the weekly AEA Legislative Update arizonaea.org/rts Make your voice heard and sign up for the legislature's Request to Speak system Mesa Education Association member Amethyst Hinton Sainz. AEA Vice President Marisol Garcia.