Minn. House committee hears hours of testimony on bills to restore K–3 suspensions and roll back non‑exclusionary discipline

The House Education Policy Committee on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, heard more than two hours of public testimony and member remarks on three bills authored by Representative Ben Bakeberg that would loosen limits on suspensions for kindergarten through third‑grade students and repeal parts of the state—s non‑exclusionary discipline (NED) framework.

Representative Ben Bakeberg, the bills— author and a middle‑school principal, told the committee the measures aim to "provide every single person that walks into our schools a safe learning environment" and described the three bills as differing approaches: one would repeal NED requirements while adding alternate educational services in exclusion or expulsion cases (House File 14‑36); one would restore unlimited suspension authority for K–3 administrators (House File 5‑14); and one would allow suspensions for K–3 students but cap them at three days (House File 10‑52). "I have in my professional role done that 0 times in my career," Bakeberg said of expulsions, adding that his priority is to keep other students learning when a classroom is repeatedly disrupted.

The committee heard unified support from many elementary principals and district leaders who said short suspensions provide time to plan reentry and to…