Committee of the Whole Public Hearing

COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004 CHAIRMAN PHIL MENDELSON COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ANNOUNCES A PUBLIC HEARING on Bill 24-232, “Student and Minor Access to Records and Transcripts (SMART) Act of 2021” Bill 24-665, “Access to Advanced Placement Exams Amendment Act of 2022” on Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. Chairman’s Website (www.ChairmanMendelson.com/live) DC Council Website (www.dccouncil.us) Council Channel 13 (Cable Television Providers) Office of Cable Television Website (entertainment.dc.gov) Council Chairman Phil Mendelson announces a public hearing by the Committee of the Whole on Bill 24-232, “Student and Minor Access to Records and Transcripts (SMART) Act of 2021” and Bill 24-665, “Access to Advanced Placement Exams Amendment Act of 2022”. The hearing will be held on Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. via Zoom video conference. The purpose of Bill 24-232, the “Student and Minor Access to Records and Transcripts (SMART) Act of 2021” is to help youth plan for life after high school and ensure that they have ready access to documentation from District public schools needed to apply for jobs or post-secondary education programs. Currently, District of Columbia Public Schools and Public Charter Schools require parental consent for students under age 18 to receive their transcript or for it to be sent to another school, college, or university. This can be challenging or an outright barrier for students who may be homeless, in foster care, or otherwise enduring strained relations with legal guardians who are unwilling to assist with the minor’s career or education progress. The purpose of Bill 24-665, the “Access to Advanced Placement Exams Amendment Act of 2022” is to provide access to Advanced Placement (AP) exams at District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) testing sites for students participating in homeschool programs. Currently, students participating in a homeschool program have no simple way to take AP exams. This legislation would address barriers by requiring that DCPS allow home-schooled students to sit for AP exams at the DCPS school that the student could attend of-right or a reasonable alternate location when the student’s of- right school is not offering that particular AP exam. Those who wish to testify must register at http://www.ChairmanMendelson.com/testify by the close of business on Friday, September 23, 2022. Testimony is limited to four minutes; less time will be allowed if there are a large number of witnesses. Witnesses who anticipate needing spoken language interpretation, or require sign language interpretation, are requested to inform the Committee office of the need as soon as possible but no later than five business days before the proceeding. We will make every effort to fulfill timely requests, although alternatives may be offered. Requests received in less than five business days may not be fulfilled. If you have additional questions, please email cow@dccouncil.us or contact Aaron Sayama, Legislative Assistant, at (202) 724-4865. The hearing will be conducted virtually on the Internet utilizing Zoom video conference technology. Testimony should be submitted in writing to cow@dccouncil.us in advance of the hearing. Written testimony will be posted publicly to http://www.chairmanmendelson.com/testimony. If you are unable to testify at the hearing, written statements are encouraged and will be made a part of the official record. Statements for the record should be submitted to cow@dccouncil.us or left by voicemail by calling (202) 430-6948 (up to 3 minutes which will be transcribed). The record will close at 5:00pm on Tuesday, October 11, 2022.