SF 2814

2nd Engrossment - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 04/01/2016 08:59am

A bill for an act
relating to education; creating a Student Discipline Working Group to review the
substance, application, and effect of Minnesota's Pupil Fair Dismissal Act and
make recommendations to the legislature.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. new text begin STUDENT DISCIPLINE WORKING GROUP.
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new text begin (a) A Student Discipline Working Group is created to review the substance,
application, and effect of Minnesota's Pupil Fair Dismissal Act under Minnesota Statutes,
sections 121A.40 to 121A.56, and related student discipline provisions in Minnesota
Statutes, chapter 121A, and submit written recommendations to the chairs and ranking
minority members of the committees in the house of representatives and senate with
jurisdiction over education by February 1, 2017, on improving disciplinary policies,
practices, and procedures as they affect students and school officials and the effects on
student outcomes.
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new text begin (b) Consistent with paragraph (a), the working group must analyze:
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new text begin (1) available summary data on elementary and secondary students' removal from
class, suspensions, exclusions, and expulsions, disaggregated by categories of race,
ethnicity, poverty, disabilities, homelessness, English language proficiency, gender, age,
and foster care status;
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new text begin (2) the meaning and effect of "willful" in establishing grounds for dismissal under
Minnesota Statutes, section 121A.45;
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new text begin (3) the impact of student misconduct on teacher safety;
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new text begin (4) the impact of established policies and due process procedures on teacher safety
and student outcomes;
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new text begin (5) students' need for and access to professional support service providers such
as school counselors, school social workers, school psychologists, and mental health
professionals;
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new text begin (6) the presence of school resource officers in school buildings, their role in effecting
student discipline, and their impact on teacher safety and student outcomes;
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new text begin (7) policies for retaining and destroying student disciplinary data;
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new text begin (8) best practices for school discipline; and
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new text begin (9) other related school discipline matters that are of concern to working group
members.
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new text begin (c) The working group consists of 18 members. By June 1, 2016, the executive
director of each of the following organizations shall appoint one representative of
that organization to serve as a member of the working group: the Minnesota School
Boards Association; the Minnesota Association of School Administrators; Education
Minnesota; the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training; the Minnesota
Disability Law Center; the National Alliance of Mental Illness Minnesota; the Minnesota
Association of Secondary School Principals; the Minnesota Elementary School Principals'
Association; the Association of Metropolitan School Districts; the Minnesota Rural
Education Association; the Minnesota School Counselors Association; the Minnesota
School Psychologists Association; the Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights;
Minnesota Administrators for Special Education; Schools for Equity in Education; the
School Nurses Organization of Minnesota; Educators for Excellence; and the Minnesota
School Social Workers Association. Working group members may seek advice from
experts and stakeholders in developing their recommendations.
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new text begin (d) The commissioner of education, or the commissioner's designee, must convene
the first meeting of the working group. The working group must select a chair or cochairs
from among its members at the first meeting. The working group must meet periodically.
The commissioner must provide technical and administrative assistance to the working
group upon request. Working group members are not eligible to receive expenses or per
diem payments for serving on the working group.
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new text begin (e) The working group expires February 2, 2017.
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new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
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