1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; requiring a mental health 
  1.3             screening when a student is suspended from school for 
  1.4             more than ten school days in a school year; amending 
  1.5             Minnesota Statutes 2003 Supplement, section 121A.61, 
  1.6             subdivision 3. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2003 Supplement, section 
  1.9   121A.61, subdivision 3, is amended to read: 
  1.10     Subd. 3.  [POLICY COMPONENTS.] The policy must include at 
  1.11  least the following components:  
  1.12     (a) rules governing student conduct and procedures for 
  1.13  informing students of the rules; 
  1.14     (b) the grounds for removal of a student from a class; 
  1.15     (c) the authority of the classroom teacher to remove 
  1.16  students from the classroom pursuant to procedures and rules 
  1.17  established in the district's policy; 
  1.18     (d) the procedures for removal of a student from a class by 
  1.19  a teacher, school administrator, or other school district 
  1.20  employee; 
  1.21     (e) the period of time for which a student may be removed 
  1.22  from a class, which may not exceed five class periods for a 
  1.23  violation of a rule of conduct; 
  1.24     (f) provisions relating to the responsibility for and 
  1.25  custody of a student removed from a class; 
  1.26     (g) the procedures for return of a student to the specified 
  2.1   class from which the student has been removed; 
  2.2      (h) the procedures for notifying a student and the 
  2.3   student's parents or guardian of violations of the rules of 
  2.4   conduct and of resulting disciplinary actions; 
  2.5      (i) any procedures determined appropriate for encouraging 
  2.6   early involvement of parents or guardians in attempts to improve 
  2.7   a student's behavior; 
  2.8      (j) any procedures determined appropriate for encouraging 
  2.9   early detection of behavioral problems; 
  2.10     (k) any procedures determined appropriate for referring a 
  2.11  student in need of special education services to those services; 
  2.12     (1) the procedures for consideration of whether there is a 
  2.13  need for a further assessment or of whether there is a need for 
  2.14  a review of the adequacy of a current individual education plan 
  2.15  of a student with a disability who is removed from class; 
  2.16     (m) procedures for detecting and addressing chemical abuse 
  2.17  problems of a student while on the school premises; 
  2.18     (n) the minimum consequences for violations of the code of 
  2.19  conduct; 
  2.20     (o) procedures for immediate and appropriate interventions 
  2.21  tied to violations of the code; 
  2.22     (p) a provision that states that a teacher, school 
  2.23  employee, school bus driver, or other agent of a district may 
  2.24  use reasonable force in compliance with section 121A.582 and 
  2.25  other laws; and 
  2.26     (q) an agreement regarding procedures to coordinate crisis 
  2.27  services to the extent funds are available with the county board 
  2.28  responsible for implementing sections 245.487 to 245.4887 for 
  2.29  students with a serious emotional disturbance or other students 
  2.30  who have an individualized education plan whose behavior may be 
  2.31  addressed by crisis intervention; and 
  2.32     (r) in order to assess, diagnose, and treat a student with 
  2.33  mental health needs, a procedure for providing a mental health 
  2.34  screening to a student who is suspended from school for more 
  2.35  than ten consecutive school days or subject to a series of 
  2.36  school suspensions that cumulatively are more than ten school 
  3.1   days in a school year and constitute a pattern based on the 
  3.2   length and proximity of the suspensions. 
  3.3      <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective the day 
  3.4   following final enactment.