Amendment #10 to S2581

Young Student Suspension and Expulsion Ban

Ms. Decker of Cambridge moves to amend the bill by adding the following sections:

SECTION XX. Chapter 71 of the General Laws is hereby further amended in section 37H¾, in line 1, by inserting before subsection (a) the following paragraph:-

“This section shall govern the suspension and expulsion of students enrolled in a public school in the commonwealth who are not charged with a violation of subsections (a) and (b) of section 37H or with a felony under section 37H½.”

SECTION XX. Said section 37H¾ of said chapter 71 is hereby further amended by striking out subsection (a) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-

“(a) A student enrolled in a public prekindergarten program, kindergarten, first grade, second grade or third grade may not be suspended or expelled from school in response to discipline infractions.”

SECTION XX. Said section 37H¾ of said chapter 71 is hereby further amended by adding the following subsection:-

“(g) The department shall provide guidance and support to school districts to provide school staff with best practices to respond to concerns related to student behavior including, but not limited to, alternatives to suspension and expulsion such as (i) mediation; (ii) conflict resolution; (iii) restorative justice; and (iv) collaborative problem solving.”

SECTION XX. Section 4 shall take effect 1 year after passage of this act.

SECTION XX. Section 5 shall take effect 2 years after passage of this act.

Additional co-sponsor(s) added to Amendment #10 to S2581

Young Student Suspension and Expulsion Ban