Revision: Jan. 16, 2019, 12:40 p.m.
HB 677-FN-A - AS INTRODUCED
2019 SESSION
19-0571
06/03
HOUSE BILL 677-FN-A
SPONSORS: Rep. Myler, Merr. 10; Rep. Martin, Hills. 23; Rep. Le, Rock. 31; Rep. Cornell, Hills. 18
COMMITTEE: Education
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ANALYSIS
This bill modifies the policy for discipline and expulsions from school. The bill also requires the bureau of student wellness, department of education to aid school districts in addressing students' behavioral health needs.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
19-0571
06/03
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Nineteen
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Suspension and Expulsion of Pupils. Amend RSA 193:13 to read as follows:
193:13 Suspension and Expulsion of Pupils.
I.(a) The superintendent or chief administering officer, or a representative designated in writing by the superintendent, is authorized to suspend pupils from school for a period not to exceed [10] 5 consecutive school days for [gross misconduct or for neglect or refusal to conform to the reasonable rules of the school and shall make educational assignments available to the suspended pupil during the period of suspension] behavior that is detrimental to the health, safety, or welfare of other pupils or school personnel or for repeated and willful disregard of the reasonable rules of the school that is not remediated through imposition of the district's set of graduated sanctions under paragraph X.
(b) The school board or a representative designated in writing of the school board is authorized, following a hearing, to continue the suspension of a pupil for a period [in excess] of up to 10 additional consecutive school days for acts of theft, destruction, or violence as defined in RSA 193-D, or for possessing a firearm, BB gun, or paintball gun on school grounds. The school board's designee may be the superintendent or any other individual, but may not be the individual who suspended the pupil for the first [10] 5 days under subparagraph (a). Any suspension shall be valid throughout the school districts of the state, subject to modification by the superintendent of the school district or charter school in which the pupil seeks to enroll.
(c) Any suspension in excess of 10 school days imposed under subparagraph (b) by any person other than the school board is appealable to the school board, provided that the superintendent received such appeal in writing within 10 days after the issuance of the decision being appealed. The school board shall hold a hearing on the appeal, but shall have discretion to hear evidence or to rely upon the record of a hearing conducted under subparagraph (b). The suspension under subparagraph (b) shall be enforced while that appeal is pending, unless the school board stays the suspension while the appeal is pending.
II. Any pupil may be expelled from school by the local school board for [gross misconduct, or for neglect or refusal to conform to the reasonable rules of the school, or for an act of theft, destruction, or violence as defined in RSA 193-D:1, or for possession of a pellet or BB gun, rifle, or paint ball gun,] repeated acts under subparagraph I(b) or for possessing a firearm on school grounds and the pupil shall not attend school until restored by the local board. Before expelling a pupil under this section the local school board shall consider each of the following factors:
(a) The pupil's age.
(b) The pupil's disciplinary history.
(c) Whether the pupil is a student with a disability.
(d) The seriousness of the violation or behavior committed by the pupil.
(e) Whether the school district has conducted a functional behavior assessment and implemented a positive behavior intervention plan
under paragraph IV.
(f) Whether a lesser intervention would properly address the violation or behavior committed by the pupil.
II-a. Any expulsion shall be subject to review if requested prior to the start of each school year and further, any parent or guardian has the right to appeal any such expulsion by the local board to the state board of education at any time while the expulsion remains in effect. Any expulsion shall be valid throughout the school districts of the state, subject to suspension or termination by the superintendent of the school district or charter school in which the pupil seeks to enroll.
III. Any pupil who brings or possesses a firearm as defined in section 921 of Title 18 of the United States Code in a safe school zone as defined in RSA 193-D:1 without written authorization from the superintendent or designee shall be expelled from school by the local school board for a period of not less than 12 months. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the local school district that expelled the student from providing educational services to such student in an alternative setting.
IV. School districts shall make educational assignments available to the suspended pupil during periods of suspension up to 20 cumulative days. Except as provided in paragraphs II and III, the total number of days for which a pupil may be suspended from school shall not exceed 20 school days in any school year unless the student is provided alternative educational services designed to enable the child to advance from grade to grade. Further, any time a student is suspended more than 10 school days in any school year, the school district shall conduct a functional behavior assessment and implement a positive behavior intervention plan within 30 days of the child’s return to school. [The local school board shall adopt a policy which allows the superintendent or chief administering officer to modify the expulsion requirements set forth in paragraphs II and III on a case by case basis.
V. Any pupil expelled by a local school board under the provisions of the Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994 shall not be eligible to enroll in another school district in New Hampshire for the period of such expulsion. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the local school district that expelled the student from providing educational services to such students in an alternative setting.
VI] V. A pupil expelled from school in another state under the provisions of the Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994 shall not be eligible to enroll in a school district in New Hampshire for the period of such expulsion.
VI. The local school board shall adopt a policy which allows the superintendent or chief administering officer to modify the expulsion and enrollment requirements under paragraphs III and V on a case by case basis.
VII. For purposes of paragraphs I, II, and III, school board may be either the school board or a subcommittee of the board duly authorized by the school board.
VIII. Nothing in this section shall prevent a superintendent or chief administering officer from terminating a student’s out-of-school suspension or expulsion, as deemed appropriate, based on student centered factors.
IX. The provisions of this section shall be construed in a manner consistent with RSA 186-C.
X. The state board of education shall require school districts to establish policies on school discipline that contain a system of consequences designed to correct student misconduct and promote behavior within acceptable norms. Such policies shall:
(a) Include a graduated set of age appropriate responses to misconduct that include, but are not limited to, parent conferences, counseling, peer mediation, instruction in conflict resolution and anger management, community service, rearranging class schedules, restriction from extra curricular activities, detention, in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, and expulsion.
(b) Contain the specific basis for in-school suspensions, short term out-of-school suspensions, suspensions over 10 days, and expulsions.
XI. Each school district shall make its policy on school discipline:
(a) Available to parents at the beginning of each school year, along with a statement describing the procedural protections available to students subject to school discipline.
(b) Publicly available either on the district website or by providing a copy to the department of education, which shall publish it on its website.
2 New Subdivision; Grants for Implementation of Behavioral Health Supports. Amend RSA 198 by inserting after section 62 the following new subdivision:
Grants for Implementation of Behavioral Health Supports
198:63 Purpose Statement. The general court recognizes that there is a need to provide funding to the school districts of the state to support the behavioral health and wellness of New Hampshire students, who are being affected by the ongoing mental health, substance misuse, and child protection crises in the state. There is an existing, New Hampshire-developed prevention framework, known as the Multi-Tiered System of Supports for Behavioral Health and Wellness or MTSS-B, that has been implemented in many school districts in New Hampshire and has demonstrated clear evidence that implementation of the model is directly correlated with reduced exclusionary discipline evidenced by reduced student discipline referrals, enhanced behavioral health, enhanced attendance, improved academic achievement, and enhanced school climate.
198:64 Grants for Implementation of Behavioral Health Supports.
I. To aid local school districts in meeting the needs of New Hampshire students, the bureau of student wellness, department of education, shall, from funds appropriated by the general court to carry out the provisions of this section, distribute and oversee the use of the funds to the school districts of the state using the allocation formula developed to distribute Title I funds and in accordance with this section.
II. For the purposes of this section, "Multi-Tiered System of Supports for Behavioral Health and Wellness" or "MTSS-B" means the evidence-based prevention framework developed in New Hampshire, in compliance with RSA 135-F:5, II(a), to address New Hampshire students' social, emotional, and behavioral health needs.
III. In distributing the funds appropriated under this section, the bureau of student wellness shall direct school districts to utilize the funds for the following allowable uses:
(a) External MTSS-B consultation and training services in addition to services available via the bureau of student wellness at the department of education;
(b) Other MTSS-B professional development and related travel expenses;
(c) Stipends for staff attendance at MTSS-B professional development outside of regular working hours;
(d) Staff positions to implement MTSS-B for students with behavioral and emotional challenges, such as school-based social workers, school counselors, school psychologists, LADCs, student assistance program coordinators, school wellness coordinators, internal MTSS-B coordinators, wraparound coordinators, COTAs, behavioral support specialists, early childhood coordinators, and any other positions that support social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health services within the MTSS-B framework in schools;
(e) Contracts with community providers, including community mental health centers, child and family serving agencies, and other mental health providers to provide evidence- and research-based practices;
(f) Supplies to support MTSS-B implementation; and
(g) Data collection and reporting.
3 Appropriation. The sum of $5,000,000 for the biennium ending June 30, 2021 is hereby appropriated to the department of education for the purposes of supporting student behavioral health and wellness under RSA 198:63. The governor is authorized to draw a warrant for said sum out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated.
4 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2019.
19-0571
1/15/19
HB 677-FN-A- FISCAL NOTE
AS INTRODUCED
FISCAL IMPACT: [ X ] State [ ] County [ X ] Local [ ] None
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| Estimated Increase / (Decrease) | |||
STATE: | FY 2020 | FY 2021 | FY 2022 | FY 2023 |
Appropriation | $5,000,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Expenditures | $2,500,000 | $2,500,000 | $0 | $0 |
Funding Source: | [ ] General [ ] Education [ ] Highway [ ] Other | |||
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LOCAL: |
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Revenue | $2,450,000 | $2,450,000 | $0 | $0 |
Expenditures | Indeterminable | Indeterminable | Indeterminable | Indeterminable |
METHODOLOGY:
This bill makes several statutory changes relative to the suspension and expulsion of pupils and establishes a grant program for implementation of behavioral health support, administered by the Department of Education, along with a $5,000,000 general fund appropriation for the biennium ending July 1, 2021. Any expenditure impact on school districts relative to the suspension and expulsion changes is indeterminable as it is unclear how many actions there may be, as well as their costs, or who is responsible for the costs. In regards to the grant program, the Department anticipates it would use $100,000 of the appropriation ($50,000 each year) for administrative expenses, and grant the remaining $4,900,000 to schools in each FY 2020 and FY 2021.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Department of Education