Minnesota Agencies

A Student Discipline Working Group was created to review the substance, application, and effect of Minnesota's Pupil Fair Dismissal Act under Minnesota Statutes, sections 121A.40 to 121A.56, and related student discipline provisions in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 121A, and submit written recommendations to the chairs and ranking minority members of the committees in the house of representatives and the senate with jurisdiction over education by February 1, 2017, on improving disciplinary policies, practices, and procedures as they affect students and school officials and the effects on student outcomes.

In 2016 Rep. Drew Christensen authored HF 3313 and Senator Clausen authored SF2814, which proposed to create the Student Discipline Working Group. This legislation was rolled into HF2749, the Omnibus supplemental budget bill, which passed into law as Chapter 189. This group's task is to review the substance, application, and effect of Minnesota's Pupil Fair Dismissal Act and make recommendations to the legislature.

The Commissioner of Education, as directed by the 2016 Legislature, convened the Student Discipline Working Group. The working group met monthly July 2016 through January, 2017. The working group expired February 2, 2017.

As of 2016, the working group is to consist of 21 members. By June 1, 2016, the executive director of each of the following organizations shall appoint one representative of that organization to serve as a member of the working group: the Minnesota School Boards Association; the Minnesota Association of School Administrators; Education Minnesota; the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training; the Minnesota Disability Law Center; the National Alliance of Mental Illness Minnesota; the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals; the Minnesota Elementary School Principals' Association; the Association of Metropolitan School Districts; the Minnesota Rural Education Association; the Minnesota School Counselors Association; the Minnesota School Psychologists Association; the Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights; Minnesota Administrators for Special Education; Schools for Equity in Education; Minnesota Education Equity Partnership; Educators for Excellence; the School Nurse Organization of Minnesota; the Minnesota Association of Charter Schools; the Minnesota Youth Council; the Minnesota School Social Workers Association; and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

Working group members must seek advice from experts and stakeholders in developing their recommendations.

Commissioner of Education