Click's Legislation to Establish School Expulsion Policy Passes House

COLUMBUS – State Representative Gary Click’s (R-Vickery) legislation to establish an expulsion policy for students that are an imminent and severe danger to themselves, other students or faculty passed a House vote Wednesday.

The legislation will authorize school boards to establish a policy that allows a superintendent to expel a student from school for no longer than 180 days for posing an imminent and sever danger to the health and safety of other students and school employees.

“Parents are entrusting schools to protect their children while they are away from the home,” said Click. “This legislation will help keep students safe by empowering school administrators to address situations where a student poses an imminent and severe threat to the safety of students, while also developing clear guardrails and conditions for the reinstatement of an expelled student. These situations can be complex, so this legislation allows school administrators to use their discretion to address the need that works best for their community.”

The bill defines “imminent and severe endangerment” as one of the following four threats:

·       Bringing a firearm or a knife capable of causing serious bodily injury to school, a property owned or controlled by the school board, or to an interscholastic competition, extracurricular event, or other program or activity sponsored by the school district or in which the district is a participant;

• Committing an act that is a criminal offense when committed by an adult and that results in serious physical harm to persons or property while at any of the above locations;
• Making a bomb threat to a school building or to any premises at which a school activity is occurring at the time of the threat; or
• Making an articulated or verbalized threat, including a hit list, threatening manifesto, or social media post, that would lead a reasonable person to conclude that the student poses a serious threat.

Superintendents will be required to develop conditions for the student’s reinstatement, which must include an assessment performed by psychiatrist or licensed psychologist who is agreed upon by both the district superintendent and the student’s parent.

At the end of the expulsion period, students must be assessed by a superintendent and meet all of the conditions for reinstatement. If a student fails to meet the conditions, then a superintendent may extend a student’s expulsion by no more than 90 days prior to another reassessment. There is no limit on the number of times a superintendent may extend an expulsion.

The legislation will now head to the Senate for further consideration.