Purpose

• The bill aims to change how very young students are disciplined in Minnesota schools, focusing on limiting removals from regular school attendance for preschool through third grade (K-3) and guiding how disciplinary actions should be used after an incident.

Main Provisions

• Disciplinary dismissals are prohibited for:
  • Preschool and prekindergarten programs (including Early Childhood Family Education, School Readiness, School Readiness Plus, Voluntary Prekindergarten, Head Start, and other school-based preschool/pre-K programs).
  • Kindergarten through grade 3 students (K-3), with some limited exceptions described below.
• Short-term removals after an incident for K-3:
  • A pupil in K-3 may be dismissed for up to one partial day and one full day immediately following a disciplinary incident to allow the school to communicate with the parent or guardian and to return the student to full participation in school.
• Expulsions and exclusions:
  • Expulsions and exclusions may be used only after resources outlined in subdivision 2 have been exhausted, and only in cases where there is an ongoing serious safety threat to the student or others.
• Exceptions for very short removals:
  • The prohibition on dismissals does not apply to dismissals of less than one full school day, with exceptions as provided under Chapter 125A and federal law for students who receive special education services.

Relationship to Existing Law and Changes

• The bill amends Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 121A.425, subdivision 1, to add explicit prohibitions on disciplinary dismissals for preschool, pre-K, and K-3, while still allowing very limited removals in certain circumstances after incident-related considerations and safety threats.
• It references using and exhausting “resources outlined in subdivision 2” before moving to expulsions or exclusions (these resources would be defined elsewhere in the statute, not in the excerpt provided).

Practical Implications

• For very young students (preschool and pre-K), schools would not remove students through disciplinary dismissal under this chapter.
• For K-3 students, schools would generally avoid expulsions or long-term removals; only a limited temporary removal may occur immediately after an incident to communicate with families and enable a return to participation.
• Any expulsions or exclusions would require trying other supports and interventions first (as detailed in subdivision 2) and would be reserved for ongoing serious safety threats.
• Special education considerations:
  • Short, less-than-one-day dismissals may be permitted in certain situations, in alignment with Chapter 125A and federal law for students with IEPs or related services.

Potential Impacts on Students and School Practices

• Increased emphasis on in-school supports and alternative disciplinary measures for young students.
• Clear limitations on removing very young students from school for disciplinary reasons.
• Greater need for parental communication after incidents involving K-3 students.

Implementation Considerations

• Subdivision 2 will specify the list of resources or interventions that must be tried before expulsions/exclusions; districts will need to implement and document these steps.
• Schools will need to monitor compliance with the one-partial-day/one-full-day limit for K-3 dismissals and ensure proper procedures for parent communication and safe return to class.

Relevant Terms disciplinary dismissal, expulsion, exclusion, suspension, preschool, prekindergarten, kindergarten, grade 3 (K-3), school readiness, school readiness plus, voluntary prekindergarten, Head Start, Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE), special education, Chapter 125A, IEP, incident, safety threat, resources, subdivision 2