Relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to when children may enroll in kindergarten; when students enrolled in kindergarten in school districts, charter schools, or innovation zone schools may be promoted to first grade; and the responsibilities of school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools related to the discipline of students who cause violent or nonviolent disruptions

This bill relates to education, including by modifying provisions related to when children may enroll in kindergarten; when students enrolled in kindergarten in school districts, charter schools, or innovation zone schools may be promoted to first grade; and the responsibilities of school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools related to the discipline of students who cause violent or nonviolent disruptions.7(2)(m), charter schools, to adopt, in collaboration with teachers and administrative staff employed by the school, policies for different grade levels that describe how a school may discipline a student for making a threat of violence or causing an incident of violence that results in injury or property damage or assault. 65A establishes requirements related to the policies.65A to require school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to adopt, in collaboration with teachers and administrative staff employed by the school, policies for different grade levels that describe how a school may discipline a student for causing a violent disruption or nonviolent disruption. The bill defines “nonviolent disruption” to include a disruption to classroom instruction that is a result of disorderly conduct, abusive or profane language, bullying, or repeatedly disruptive behavior. The bill defines “violent disruption” to include a disruption to classroom instruction that is a result of a threat of violence or an incident of violence that results in injury, property damage, or assault. The policies must be consistent with the provisions of Code chapter 256B (special education) and rules adopted by the state board of education for purposes of Code chapter 256B and with certain specified federal laws. The policies must require each attendance center to create a placement review committee that is responsible for determining when a student who was removed from the classroom pursuant to the bill’s provisions may return to the classroom. The bill establishes the membership of the placement review committee. The policies must authorize a teacher to remove a student who causes a nonviolent disruption from the teacher’s classroom and place the student under the supervision of the principal for at least 30 minutes. A student who is removed from the classroom pursuant to this provision is required to make up any work that the student missed while the student was under the supervision of the principal. In addition, the policies must prohibit the principal from returning a student who is removed from the classroom to the teacher’s classroom without the teacher’s consent, unless the placement review committee determines that the student should be returned to the classroom. The policies must also require the principal to inform the teacher of the disciplinary actions taken against the student who was removed from the classroom as soon as is reasonably possible after the student’s removal. The policies must require that if a student is removed from the classroom more than once in one school year, the teacher, a qualified guidance counselor, the student’s parent or legal guardian, if the student is not an emancipated minor, and the student are required to participate in a meeting to discuss the student’s nonviolent disruptions and to establish a behavioral plan and a course of discipline to correct the student’s behavior, which may include placement in an alternative learning environment. The policies must require a teacher to remove a student who causes a violent disruption from the teacher’s classroom and place the student under the supervision of the principal. The policies must prohibit the principal from returning a student who is removed from the classroom pursuant to this provision to the teacher’s classroom without the teacher’s consent, unless the placement review committee determines that the student should be returned to the classroom. However, the placement review committee shall not have the authority to require a student to return to a teacher’s classroom if the teacher removed the student from the teacher’s classroom because the student caused a violent disruption that included the student assaulting the teacher, and the teacher does not consent to allowing the student to return to the teacher’s classroom. The policies must require that a student removed from the classroom pursuant to this provision be suspended, expelled, or placed in an alternative learning environment. The bill makes conforming changes. The bill prohibits school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools from promoting a student enrolled in kindergarten to the next grade level if the student fails to achieve proficient scores on standardized, norm-referenced assessments administered near the end of the school year. The bill provides that a child who has reached the age of five by July 1 and who is enrolled in a school district shall be considered of compulsory attendance age. Under current law, a child who has reached the age of five by September 15 and who is enrolled in a school district shall be considered of compulsory attendance age.