The N.H. Senate passed a bill Thursday that would require school districts to create policies prohibiting its employees from transporting minor students to non-emergency medical visits without parental consent.

House Bill 231, which was approved, 21-3, and has already passed the House, is one of two pieces of legislation that were introduced after a private school teacher sparked controversy last year by driving an 18-year-old student to get an abortion.

But Rep. Kristine Perez, R-Londonderry, the prime sponsor of HB 231 said that incident was not the genesis for her bill. Instead, the intent was to help pupils, teachers and parents and improve safety by requiring clear policies on transporting students for medical purposes, she said.

“I’m a retired intensive care nurse,” Perez said. “Safety is a huge thing for me.”

Sen. Daryl Abbas, R-Salem, spoke in favor of HB 231 before the Senate on Thursday.

“I don’t believe that this is the role of the school and the teachers to be driving students to medical appointments without the parents’ consent. That is reaching far beyond the role they have and duty that they have in providing education to the students of the state.”

Sen. Ruth Ward, R-Stoddard, emailed a statement after the Senate passed the bill Thursday morning.

“Parents should always be kept in the know about what is happening with their children,” she said. “We do not want parents to be left out of decisions that directly impact their child and we also do not want school staff to get in trouble for not knowing this policy is in place.”

Sen. Debra Altschiller, D-Stratham, spoke against the bill before it came up for a vote in the Senate on Thursday.

“School districts already have policies to ensure parental consent,” she said. “This bill is unnecessary.”

She also said it could have the unintended consequence of preventing a student from getting needed medical care when a parent can’t be contacted.

House Bill 191 is the other measure on this topic. It passed the House, 180-164, on March 26 and is pending in the Senate.

It would mandate criminal and civil penalties for transporting an unemancipated minor to a surgical procedure without written, notarized parental consent.

Rep. Alissandra Murray, D-Manchester, spoke against HB 191 before the full House on March 26.

“This bill has significant issues around privacy and government overreach,” Murray said. “This bill obstructs access to health care, including requiring notarized consent to drive a teen to get their tonsils removed or face criminalizing grandma.”

Rep. Terry Roy, R-Deerfield, submitted written testimony in favor of HB 191.

“In recent years there have been stories of minors being transported by adults within and without the state for medical procedures without their parents knowledge and consent,” Roy said. “Whether it be an abortion, gender reassignment, or plastic surgery, parents and guardians must be involved in these important decisions.”

Last year, a teacher filed a Jane Doe lawsuit in Merrimack Superior Court against the state, challenging the state’s revocation of her teaching license after a private school fired her for driving an 18-year-old student to get an abortion.

The lawsuit said the student did not reside with her parents and didn’t want to tell her relatives she was pregnant. It also said the teacher didn’t influence the student on whether or not to get an abortion. She withdrew her lawsuit after her license was reinstated.

HB 191 is still pending in the Senate. HB 231, having passed the House and Senate, would become a law if it is signed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte.

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