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Committee approves Safe Schools membership updates and clarifies discipline policy language
Summary
The committee adopted Safe Schools Committee recommendations to add safety‑focused members and debated a discipline bill clarifying superintendent discretion on expulsions while urging board oversight and possible reporting when discretion is used; measures advanced by the committee.
Senator Sturch brought forward the Safe Schools Committee recommendations to add positions the committee deemed important for school safety oversight. Johnny Key, Commissioner of the Department of Education, described the measures as adopting recommendations from the Safe Schools Commission and listed new appointments the committee sought to add, including the director of the Criminal Justice Institute (or designee), a classroom teacher from the Arkansas State Teachers Association, an Emergency Management representative, a school psychologist appointed by the Arkansas School Psychology Association, and others.
Johnny Key said the department also created a director of school safety to provide more direct involvement. "We now have a school safety director at the department...we have more direct involvement now than we had before," Key told the committee.
The committee then considered related discipline and attendance language intended to give local districts options to continue students' access to education during suspensions or expulsions and to clarify existing superintendent discretion. Key said the bill asks districts to include "programs, measures, or alternative means and methods to continue student engagement and access to education during periods of suspension or expulsion" and added the department created an attendance code to allow districts to continue counting expelled students for funding purposes if they provide services.
Senator Chesterfield led questioning over the role of school boards versus superintendents when discretion is exercised. "What I'm missing here is the role of the school board," she said, pressing for objective criteria and oversight. Commissioner Key responded that school boards are responsible for adopting policy and superintendents carry out those policies; he said the bill clarifies existing statutory language and does not remove board responsibility for hearings.
Committee members proposed reporting mechanisms to track how and when superintendents exercise discretion. Commissioner Key said the State Board shares committee concerns and would pursue data collection and equity goals with stakeholders.
On voice votes, the committee approved the Safe Schools membership updates and the discipline/attendance measures to advance them for further consideration.
