1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to corrections; establishing a school-based 
  1.3             probation program in Hennepin, Ramsey, and Dakota 
  1.4             counties; appropriating money. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [PILOT PROJECT FOR SCHOOL-BASED PROBATION IN 
  1.7   HENNEPIN, RAMSEY, AND DAKOTA COUNTIES.] 
  1.8      Subdivision 1.  [PILOT PROJECT ESTABLISHED.] By July 1, 
  1.9   1997, the commissioner of corrections shall establish 
  1.10  school-based probation pilot projects in Hennepin, Ramsey, and 
  1.11  Dakota counties. 
  1.12     Subd. 2.  [PROGRAM DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION.] Hennepin, 
  1.13  Ramsey, and Dakota counties shall each select one middle or 
  1.14  junior high school and one high school to participate in the 
  1.15  school-based probation pilot project.  Each county may select 
  1.16  one additional middle, junior high, or high school for a total 
  1.17  of no more than three schools in each county.  Hennepin, Ramsey, 
  1.18  and Dakota counties shall select as participating schools those 
  1.19  schools which are able to provide necessary support for the 
  1.20  program, such as office space, access to the building during 
  1.21  nonschool hours, and a willingness to develop alternative 
  1.22  disciplinary responses.  Each school-based probation program 
  1.23  established shall contain a probation officer located at the 
  1.24  school who is available to help the school address behavioral 
  1.25  incidents in the school by probationers.  The probation officer 
  2.1   shall help in:  
  2.2      (1) conducting cognitive/behavioral group sessions along 
  2.3   with school personnel providing co-facilitation assistance; 
  2.4      (2) developing and administering alternatives to school 
  2.5   discipline actions such as suspension, which may include 
  2.6   mediation, community service, or home confinement; 
  2.7      (3) working more closely with the school and communicating 
  2.8   with and engaging the family's support of the juvenile's school 
  2.9   work and behavior; and 
  2.10     (4) referring and brokering with other schools' services to 
  2.11  align the probationer and the probationer's family with needed 
  2.12  services. 
  2.13     Subd. 3.  [DATA PRACTICES.] Data created, collected, used, 
  2.14  or maintained by school-based probation officers and school 
  2.15  officials participating in this pilot project are private data 
  2.16  on individuals as defined in Minnesota Statutes, section 13.02, 
  2.17  subdivision 12, and may be disseminated among personnel working 
  2.18  with the school-based probation project and as follows: 
  2.19     (1) pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 13.05; 
  2.20     (2) pursuant to a valid court order; 
  2.21     (3) pursuant to a statute specifically authorizing access 
  2.22  to the private data; 
  2.23     (4) as allowed in Code of Federal Regulations, title 34, 
  2.24  part 99; or 
  2.25     (5) within the participating school district or educational 
  2.26  entity as necessary to protect persons or property or to address 
  2.27  the educational and other needs of students. 
  2.28     Subd. 4.  [REPORT REQUIRED.] By January 15, 1999, the 
  2.29  commissioner of corrections shall report to the chairs of the 
  2.30  senate and house of representatives committees having 
  2.31  jurisdiction over criminal justice policy on the effectiveness 
  2.32  of the pilot project and any school-based probation programs 
  2.33  created under this section.  The report shall address the 
  2.34  effectiveness of the pilot project by measuring reduction in 
  2.35  school suspensions, improvement in grades, reduction of truant 
  2.36  behavior, reduction in number and severity of delinquent 
  3.1   behaviors, increase in number who return to school, and increase 
  3.2   in number who succeed in school. 
  3.3      Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  3.4      $966,912 is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  3.5   commissioner of corrections to be distributed to Hennepin, 
  3.6   Ramsey, and Dakota counties for use in the school-based 
  3.7   probation pilot project in each county.  $438,456 is available 
  3.8   for each year of the biennium ending June 30, 1999.