LINCOLN- In select circumstances under Sen. Danielle Conrad's LB1193, parents or guardians would have the final say in whether their children should repeat a grade in K-12 schools. More specifically, parents would be allowed to let their children repeat a grade in K-4 due to academic needs, illness, or excessive absenteeism. For students in grades 5-12, the reason would be limited to excessive absenteeism.

"In the rare instances where there are disagreements with the parent, and to be clear, most of the time there's not," said Conrad, "the parent's decision should really carry the day." Elizabeth Eynon-Kokrda, general counsel for the Education Rights Counsel and a proponent of the bill, argued that school districts currently contain "the entire body of rights here."

Eynon-Kokrda offered two examples to show the importance of this issue. In one, a ninth grade student survived being trafficked and missed the entire school year, but her parents were denied the opportunity to place their daughter back into ninth grade. "The current rule basically is, your age dictates where you go, specifically without regard to your circumstances," said Eynon-Kokrda.

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