1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; promoting character development
1.3 	education; amending Minnesota Statutes 2004, sections
1.4 	120B.23; 121A.03, subdivision 1; 121A.47, subdivision
1.5 	14; 121A.55; 123A.06, subdivision 1; 126C.44;
1.6 	proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes,
1.7 	chapter 120B.
1.8 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.9 	Section 1. [120B.225] CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION.
1.10 		Subdivision 1.Character development education. The
1.11 	legislature encourages districts to integrate or offer
1.12 	instruction on character education including, but not limited
1.13 	to, character qualities such as attentiveness, truthfulness,
1.14 	respect for authority, diligence, gratefulness, self-discipline,
1.15 	patience, forgiveness, respect for others, peacemaking, and
1.16 	resourcefulness.  Districts are not limited to, but may use
1.17 	programs such as Character First and Character Counts.
1.18 	Instruction should be integrated into a district's existing
1.19 	programs, curriculum, or the general school environment.  The
1.20 	commissioner shall provide assistance at the request of a
1.21 	district to develop character education curriculum and programs.
1.22 		Subd. 2.Funding sources. The commissioner must first
1.23 	use federal funds for character development education programs
1.24 	to the extent available under United States Code, title 20,
1.25 	section 7247.  Districts may accept funds from private and other
1.26 	public sources for character development education programs
2.1 	developed and implemented under this section.
2.2 	
EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day
2.3 	following final enactment.

2.4 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 120B.23, is
2.5 	amended to read:
2.6 	120B.23 VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT 
2.7 	EDUCATION GRANTS.
2.8 		Subdivision 1.Grant program established. The
2.9 	commissioner of education, after consulting with the assistant
2.10 	commissioner of the Office of Drug Policy and Violence
2.11 	Prevention, shall establish a violence prevention and character
2.12 	development education grant program, consistent with section
2.13 	120B.255, subdivision 1,to enable a school district, an
2.14 	education district, or a group of districts that cooperate for a
2.15 	particular purpose to develop and implement or to continue a
2.16 	violence prevention and character development program for
2.17 	students in kindergarten through grade 12 that can be integrated
2.18 	into existing curriculum.  A district or group of districts that
2.19 	elects to develop and implement or to continue a violence
2.20 	prevention and character development program under section
2.21 	120B.22 is eligible to apply for a grant under this section.
2.22 		Subd. 2.Grant application. To be eligible to receive a
2.23 	grant, a school district, an education district, a service
2.24 	cooperative, or a group of districts that cooperate for a
2.25 	particular purpose must submit an application to the
2.26 	commissioner in the form and manner and according to the
2.27 	timeline established by the commissioner.  The application must
2.28 	describe how the applicant will:  (1) continue or integrate into
2.29 	its existing K-12 curriculum or into cocurricular or
2.30 	extracurricular activities a program for violence prevention
2.31 	that contains the program components listed in section
2.32 	120B.22 and character development; (2) collaborate with local
2.33 	organizations involved in violence prevention and
2.34 	intervention and character development; and (3) structure the
2.35 	program to reflect the characteristics of the children, their
2.36 	families and the community involved in the program.  The
3.1 	commissioner may require additional information from the
3.2 	applicant.  When reviewing the applications, the commissioner
3.3 	shall determine whether the applicant has met the requirements
3.4 	of this subdivision.
3.5 		Subd. 3.Grant awards. The commissioner may award grants
3.6 	for a violence prevention and character development education
3.7 	program to eligible applicants as defined in subdivision 2.
3.8 	Grant amounts may not exceed $3 per resident pupil unit in the
3.9 	district or group of districts in the prior school year.  Grant
3.10 	recipients should be geographically distributed throughout the
3.11 	state.
3.12 		Subd. 4.Grant proceeds. A successful applicant must use
3.13 	the grant money to develop and implement or to continue a
3.14 	violence prevention and character development program according
3.15 	to the terms of the grant application.
3.16 	
EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day
3.17 	following final enactment.

3.18 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 121A.03,
3.19 	subdivision 1, is amended to read:
3.20 		Subdivision 1.Model policy.  The commissioner shall
3.21 	maintain and make available to school boards a model sexual,
3.22 	religious, and racial harassment and violence policy.  The model
3.23 	policy shall address the requirements of subdivision 2, and may
3.24 	encourage violence prevention and character development
3.25 	education programs, consistent with section 120B.225,
3.26 	subdivision 1, to prevent and reduce policy violations.
3.27 	
EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day
3.28 	following final enactment.

3.29 	Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 121A.47,
3.30 	subdivision 14, is amended to read:
3.31 		Subd. 14.Admission or readmission plan.  A school
3.32 	administrator shall prepare and enforce an admission or
3.33 	readmission plan for any pupil who is excluded or expelled from
3.34 	school.  The plan may include measures to improve the pupil's
3.35 	behavior, including completing a character education program,
3.36 	consistent with section 120B.225, subdivision 1,and require
4.1 	parental involvement in the admission or readmission process,
4.2 	and may indicate the consequences to the pupil of not improving
4.3 	the pupil's behavior.
4.4 	
EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day
4.5 	following final enactment.

4.6 	Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 121A.55, is
4.7 	amended to read:
4.8 	121A.55 POLICIES TO BE ESTABLISHED.
4.9 	(a) The commissioner of education shall promulgate
4.10 	guidelines to assist each school board.  Each school board shall
4.11 	establish uniform criteria for dismissal and adopt written
4.12 	policies and rules to effectuate the purposes of sections
4.13 	121A.40 to 121A.56.  The policies shall emphasize preventing
4.14 	dismissals through early detection of problems, using character
4.15 	development or other programs, consistent with section 120B.225,
4.16 	subdivision 1,and shall be designed to address students'
4.17 	inappropriate behavior from recurring.  The policies shall
4.18 	recognize the continuing responsibility of the school for the
4.19 	education of the pupil during the dismissal period.  The
4.20 	alternative educational services, if the pupil wishes to take
4.21 	advantage of them, must be adequate to allow the pupil to make
4.22 	progress towards meeting the graduation standards adopted under
4.23 	section 120B.02 and help prepare the pupil for readmission.
4.24 	(b) An area learning center under section 123A.05 may not
4.25 	prohibit an expelled or excluded pupil from enrolling solely
4.26 	because a district expelled or excluded the pupil.  The board of
4.27 	the area learning center may use the provisions of the Pupil
4.28 	Fair Dismissal Act to exclude a pupil or to require an admission
4.29 	plan.
4.30 	(c) Each school district shall develop a policy and report
4.31 	it to the commissioner on the appropriate use of peace officers
4.32 	and crisis teams to remove students who have an individualized
4.33 	education plan from school grounds.

4.34 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day
4.35 	following final enactment.

4.36 	Sec. 6. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 123A.06,
5.1 	subdivision 1, is amended to read:
5.2 		Subdivision 1.Program focus.  (a) The programs and
5.3 	services of a center must focus on academic and learning skills,
5.4 	applied learning opportunities, trade and vocational skills,
5.5 	work-based learning opportunities, work experience, youth
5.6 	service to the community, transition services, and English
5.7 	language and literacy programs for children whose primary
5.8 	language is a language other than English, and may focus on
5.9 	character development, consistent with section 120B.225,
5.10 	subdivision 1.  Applied learning, work-based learning, and
5.11 	service learning may best be developed in collaboration with a
5.12 	local education and transitions partnership, culturally based
5.13 	organizations, mutual assistance associations, or other
5.14 	community resources.  In addition to offering programs, the
5.15 	center shall coordinate the use of other available educational
5.16 	services, special education services, social services, health
5.17 	services, and postsecondary institutions in the community and
5.18 	services area.
5.19 	(b) Consistent with the requirements of sections 121A.40 to
5.20 	121A.56, a school district may provide an alternative education
5.21 	program for a student who is within the compulsory attendance
5.22 	age under section 120A.20, and who is involved in severe or
5.23 	repeated disciplinary action.
5.24 	
EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day
5.25 	following final enactment.

5.26 	Sec. 7. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 126C.44, is
5.27 	amended to read:
5.28 	126C.44 SAFE SCHOOLS LEVY.
5.29 	Each district may make a levy on all taxable property
5.30 	located within the district for the purposes specified in this
5.31 	section.  The maximum amount which may be levied for all costs
5.32 	under this section shall be equal to $27 multiplied by the
5.33 	district's adjusted marginal cost pupil units for the school
5.34 	year.  The proceeds of the levy must be used for directly
5.35 	funding the following purposes or for reimbursing the cities and
5.36 	counties who contract with the district for the following
6.1 	purposes:  (1) to pay the costs incurred for the salaries,
6.2 	benefits, and transportation costs of peace officers and
6.3 	sheriffs for liaison in services in the district's schools; (2)
6.4 	to pay the costs for a drug abuse prevention program as defined
6.5 	in section 609.101, subdivision 3, paragraph (e), in the
6.6 	elementary schools; (3) to pay the costs for a gang resistance
6.7 	education training curriculum in the district's schools; (4) to
6.8 	pay the costs for security in the district's schools and on
6.9 	school property; or (5) to pay the costs for other crime
6.10 	prevention, drug abuse, student and staff safety, and violence
6.11 	prevention measures, including character development programs,
6.12 	consistent with section 120B.225, subdivision 1,taken by the
6.13 	school district.  The district must initially attempt to
6.14 	contract for services to be provided by peace officers or
6.15 	sheriffs with the police department of each city or the
6.16 	sheriff's department of the county within the district
6.17 	containing the school receiving the services.  If a local police
6.18 	department or a county sheriff's department does not wish to
6.19 	provide the necessary services, the district may contract for
6.20 	these services with any other police or sheriff's department
6.21 	located entirely or partially within the school district's
6.22 	boundaries.  The levy authorized under this section is not
6.23 	included in determining the school district's levy limitations.

6.24 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day
6.25 	following final enactment.