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House education panel introduces measure tightening school enrollment rules for dangerous students
Summary
A House Education Committee member introduced RS 32392 to allow local school boards to deny or suspend enrollment for students whose behavior is judged dangerous or who have certain felony adjudications; the committee voted to introduce the request for statute (RS).
House Education Committee members voted to introduce RS 32392, a request-for-statute that would change statutory language governing when local school boards may deny school attendance to students deemed dangerous.
Representative Sean Dyger, sponsor of RS 32392, told the committee the measure “tightens up some language for school boards to be able to identify dangerous individuals that would be applying for attendance within their school.” The proposal reorganizes existing language and adds specific examples the board may use to deny enrollment.
The bill draft replaces older phrasing such as “incorrigible” with the standard “whose conduct is in the judgment of the board” and adds a clause (letter e in the draft) to address students who are “denied enrollment due to behavior detrimental to the health and safety of other pupils and disenrolled in lieu of discipline.” Dyger said that change is aimed at situations in which parents withdraw a student while an expulsion process is pending so the incident would not otherwise appear on a school record.
RS 32392 also adds a new provision (letter f) that would allow denial of enrollment where a student has “a conviction or adjudication of any offense under section 25 to 5A,” language the sponsor described as targeted at serious felony-level adjudications and not misdemeanors. The draft retains an explicit due-process pathway: it preserves procedures allowing a student or guardian to request a hearing before the school board (draft cited in discussion as pages 1–2, lines referenced by sponsors).
Representative Dyger emphasized that the measure does not create a mechanism to access sealed juvenile court records; rather, he said, the language requires disclosure that an adjudication or conviction has occurred without granting general access to juvenile records. The sponsor said the final decision remains with the local school board.
Committee discussion was brief. Representative Clow asked how closed juvenile records would be discovered; Dyger replied the bill requires disclosure that an adjudication occurred rather than opening court files. After brief questions, a motion was made to introduce RS 32392; the committee approved the RS for introduction by voice vote.
RS 32392 will be printed for formal introduction and further consideration.
