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House approves stricter school‑discipline rules, including mandatory expulsion language with superintendent discretion
Summary
HB41 requires school districts to adopt off‑campus conduct policies and creates a mandatory one‑year expulsion for bringing firearms/explosives to school, while preserving superintendent discretion and adding record‑keeping and interagency cooperation amendments; the bill passed the House.
Representative Kay Garn presented HB41 to strengthen school discipline and safety. The bill requires districts to adopt policies addressing off‑campus conduct that threatens school safety and includes a mandatory minimum one‑year expulsion for students who bring firearms, look‑alike firearms, explosives or flammable materials to school. Garn said the provisions mirror federal language to preserve federal funding and also provide superintendent discretion to reduce penalties in certain cases.
Floor amendments were adopted to require that a notation of a recorded suspension or expulsion be attached to the student's transcript and to encourage cooperation between parents/school officials and appropriate state agencies (Division of Family Services, juvenile court) for suspended students’ educational needs. Representatives questioned whether the federal wording left meaningful local authority; sponsors said the language aligns with federal requirements and local districts retain discretion.
After debate and adoption of amendments, the House approved HB41 by recorded vote (73 yes, 0 no) and referred the bill to the Senate.
