Senate Bill 12-046: School Discipline Summary

• Replaces mandatory "zero-tolerance" suspension and expulsion policies with discretionary discipline, except mandatory expulsion remains only for students who bring or possess firearms at school.

• Requires school districts to adopt conduct and discipline codes that include age-appropriate, proportionate responses to misconduct; promote prevention, intervention, and restorative justice; and limit out-of-school suspensions and expulsions except for serious threats to safety.

• Mandates school conduct codes include specific policies on sexual assault and domestic violence prevention, and requires criteria distinguishing minor violations from those requiring law enforcement referral.

• Establishes school resource officer training curriculum standards and requires peace officers assigned to schools to complete training by October 1, 2013; requires law enforcement agencies to report student arrest and investigation data to the Division of Criminal Justice.

• Requires legislative post-enactment review four years after enactment to assess implementation and determine whether to continue law enforcement reporting requirements to the Division of Criminal Justice.