Purpose of the Bill

The bill aims to modify the requirements for safe and supportive school programs across districts and schools in Minnesota. The goal is to enhance students' ability to identify, prevent, and reduce prohibited conduct, and to value diversity within school environments and beyond.

Main Provisions

• Mandatory Program Instruction: Schools are now required (previously only encouraged) to provide programmatic instruction tailored to students' developmental levels. This instruction will help students learn how to identify and manage prohibited behaviors, value diversity, solve problems, manage conflicts, engage in civil discourse, and effectively respond to and report improper conduct.

• Positive School Climate: Schools must establish strategies to create a positive school climate and employ evidence-based social-emotional learning techniques aimed at preventing and reducing discrimination and other improper behaviors.

• Community Engagement: Schools are encouraged to engage all students in maintaining a safe environment and to work collaboratively with parents and community members to develop and implement effective prevention and intervention programs.

• Student Bystander Training: Students will be trained to intervene in and report incidents of prohibited conduct to an appointed school contact person.

• Advocacy and Collaboration: Students are to be taught self-advocacy and how to advocate for others, while also fostering student collaborations that promote a supportive school climate.

• Inappropriate Referrals: The bill encourages the prevention of inappropriate referrals to special education for students who may engage in prohibited conduct, ensuring or reducing chances of misdiagnosis based on behavioral issues linked to unaddressed prohibited conduct.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• The bill shifts language from "encouraged" to "must," making it a requirement for schools to adopt these practices, emphasizing a stronger mandate for proactive engagement in safe and supportive school programming.

Relevant Terms

safe school programs, prohibited conduct, diversity, social-emotional learning, positive school climate, community engagement, student bystander training, advocacy, inappropriate referrals, special education.