HF3489
Field trip policy established, reporting to licensing boards required, and criminal offense of grooming established.
Legislative Session 94 (2025-2026)
Related bill: SF3969
AI Generated Summary
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
Past committee meetings
- Public Safety Finance and Policy on: March 11, 2026 15:00
- Children and Families Finance and Policy on: March 17, 2026 15:00
- Education Finance on: March 24, 2026 13:00
Actions
| Date | Chamber | Where | Type | Name | Committee Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 19, 2026 | House | Action | Introduction and first reading, referred to | Education Policy | |
| February 23, 2026 | House | Action | Authors added | ||
| February 26, 2026 | House | Action | Author added | ||
| March 05, 2026 | House | Action | Committee report, to adopt as amended and re-refer to | Public Safety Finance and Policy | |
| March 16, 2026 | House | Action | Committee report, to adopt as amended and re-refer to | Children and Families Finance and Policy | |
| March 18, 2026 | House | Action | Author added | ||
| March 23, 2026 | House | Action | Committee report, to adopt as amended and re-refer to | Education Finance | |
| March 23, 2026 | House | Action | Author added | ||
| March 25, 2026 | House | Action | Authors added |
Citations
[
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Adds field trip safety requirement restricting a school employee, independent contractor, or volunteer from being alone with a student during a field trip, including overnight stays."
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Addresses field trips by school personnel, indicating restrictions on being alone with a student during field trips, including overnight trips.",
"modified": [
"Incorporates field trip safety considerations into the statute governing school activities."
]
},
"citation": "121A.613",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Adds subdivisions to 122A.20."
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Amends 122A.20, sections related to education safety/discipline with added subdivisions.",
"modified": [
"Update to disciplinary or safeguarding provisions as part of the field trip/school safety policy changes."
]
},
"citation": "122A.20",
"subdivision": "subd. 1 and 2"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Adds subdivisions to 260E.15."
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Amendment to 260E.15 concerning school safety/administration, with added subdivisions for related policies.",
"modified": [
"Clarifies or expands school safety reporting or governance provisions tied to field trip/grooming policies."
]
},
"citation": "260E.15",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Adds a subdivision to 260E.28."
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Amends 260E.28 by adding subdivisions related to the bill's field trip and safety provisions.",
"modified": [
"Expands statutory provisions on school safety/licensing to align with new field trip policies."
]
},
"citation": "260E.28",
"subdivision": "subd. 1"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Adds subdivisions to 609.352 to address grooming-related offenses."
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Amends the criminal code in 609.352 by adding subdivisions related to grooming offenses.",
"modified": [
"Broadens or clarifies grooming-related provisions within the criminal code."
]
},
"citation": "609.352",
"subdivision": "subd. 1 and 4"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Adds a subdivision to 260E.065."
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Modification in the 2025 Supplement to 260E.065 with an added subdivision.",
"modified": [
"Aligns 260E.065 with new safety/licensing reporting provisions."
]
},
"citation": "260E.065",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Adds subdivision 1 to 260E.20."
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "In the 2025 Supplement, adds subdivision 1 to 260E.20 as part of the bill's school safety framework.",
"modified": [
"Enhances licensing/reporting provisions tied to school safety."
]
},
"citation": "260E.20",
"subdivision": "subd. 1"
}
]Progress through the legislative process
In Committee