HF3489

Purpose

The bill aims to strengthen protections for students during field trips and to address safeguarding measures. It would create new requirements related to field trip safety, establish a new criminal offense of grooming, require reporting to licensing boards, and update several Minnesota statutes to support these protections.

Main provisions

• Field trip safety rule
  • A school employee, independent contractor, or volunteer must not be alone with a student during a field trip, including field trips with overnight stays.
• Grooming crime
  • Establishes a new criminal offense of grooming to address inappropriate efforts to build a relationship with a student for exploitation.
• Reporting requirements
  • Requires reporting to licensing boards (presumably related to educators and school staff) about relevant field trip safety concerns or misconduct.
• Statutory amendments and additions
  • Amends Minnesota Statutes 2024 sections and Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, including sections 122A.20, 260E.15, 260E.28, and 609.352 (with newly added subdivisions).
  • Adds new subdivisions to existing statutes and codes for the purposes of field trip safety, grooming offenses, and licensing board reporting.
  • Proposes coding for the new law in Minnesota Statutes chapter 121A (indicating organizational or licensure-related provisions).

Significant changes to existing law

• Adds a specific prohibition on adults being alone with a student on field trips (a concrete safety rule not previously stated in this form).
• Creates a new criminal offense (grooming) to address attempts to manipulate or exploit a student.
• Requires mandatory reporting to licensing boards, increasing oversight and potential disciplinary actions for educators, contractors, or volunteers.
• Reforms and expands related statutory framework by adding subdivisions and new sections across multiple chapters to integrate field trip safety, grooming, and reporting into the state’s education and enforcement laws.

Implementation considerations

• Scope and definitions: The bill will need precise definitions of “field trip,” “overnight stay,” and who counts as a school employee, independent contractor, or volunteer.
• Penalties and enforcement: Details on penalties for grooming and consequences for violating the field trip rule, as well as penalties for failing to report to licensing boards.
• Coverage and applicability: How broadly the provisions apply to different school districts, charter schools, and private providers involved in field trips.

Summary

The bill seeks to improve student safety on field trips by prohibiting adults accompanying students from being alone with them, even on overnight trips. It also creates a new grooming offense and requires reporting to licensing boards, while updating several statutory sections to formalize these safeguards and enforcement mechanisms.

Relevant Terms field trip, school employee, independent contractor, volunteer, alone with a student, overnight stay, grooming, licensing boards, reporting, Minnesota Statutes 2024, Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, 122A.20, 260E.15, 260E.28, 609.352, chapter 121A, subdivisions