State board approves amended Rule r277-609, adds 'accountability practices' definition and reinstates expulsion language

The State Board approved amendments to Rule r277-609 on student discipline after extended debate, inserting a new definition for “accountability practices,” replacing specified uses of the word “restorative” with “accountability,” and reinstating a prior expulsion definition into draft 4. The board then approved draft 4 as amended on second and final reading and forwarded it to the reports-and-requirements task force.

The votes followed lengthy discussion about whether the rule should require or merely allow certain practices and how discipline terms should be defined for consistent reporting. "I would speak against it. I think we should do something that adds clarity and has us be able to get accurate data," said Member Davis, arguing for clearer numeric distinctions between suspension, long-term suspension and expulsion so LEAs could produce consistent incident data.

Board members divided on the role of restorative practices in the rule. Proponents said the new wording gives schools flexibility to use evidence-based approaches while preserving accountability; opponents said introducing new, unfamiliar terms could create confusion in policy and practice. "I really just struggle with adding in new terms and definitions that are not known, understood, or researched by practitioners," said Member Bollinger.

After a series of procedural motions and amendments, the board inserted the following definition into draft 4: "Accountability practice means any evidence-based practice that increases academic outcomes, decreases behavior that disrupts the learning environment, and holds students accountable for their actions by requiring them to take responsibility to repair harm and provide restitution when appropriate. Some practices include adapting instruction to increase engagement, behavior plans, and restorative practices." The board voted to adopt that insertion and to replace specified instances of the word "restorative" with "accountability" in the rule text (lines cited during debate: 379, 4306, and 438). That motion passed 10 in favor, 5 opposed.

Separately, the board voted to reinstate the expulsion definition from draft 1 into draft 4. The motion to reinstate the draft-1 expulsion language carried by a 14–1 vote; Member Davis cast the lone recorded opposition. Member Davis had proposed, as an alternative, numeric definitions (for example, suspension up to 10 days; long-term suspension 11 to 365 calendar days; expulsion—no return until approved by the LEA board) to support consistent data collection, and staff said incident-record fields could be updated to accommodate revised definitions.

Following those changes, the board approved R277-609 (Standards for LEA discipline plans and emergency safety interventions), draft 4 as amended, on second and final reading and forwarded the rule to the reports-and-requirements task force; the final motion to approve draft 4 as amended passed by recorded vote (11 in favor, 3 opposed). The board noted that staff will need to work with rule-writing staff to align the language with OAR rules and other procedural requirements before final codification.

Board members directed staff to continue coordinating wording and to bring back any required technical edits; staff signaled they will tidy grammar/wording and check alignment with agency rule-writing (Elise Newey, deputy superintendent of policy, said the text will need small changes such as replacing "is" with "means" and breaking the insertion into subparts to align with rule format).