H1027 - Revise Suspension & Parental Notice Policies

• Redefines suspension lengths: short-term suspension increased to up to 20 cumulative school days per year (previously 10 days), intermediate-term suspension defined as 21-42 cumulative days per year, and long-term suspension changed from more than 10 days to more than 43 days per year.

• Creates appeal rights for short-term suspensions when the suspension period is 3 or more days and the student accumulates 15 or more cumulative days in a school year; intermediate-term suspensions require a formal hearing before imposition with appeal rights to the local board of education.

• Requires schools to make "reasonable attempts" to notify parents of suspensions within one hour of the end of the school day, using at least two communication methods (phone, email/text, or certified mail), with notices provided in the parent's primary language if English is not their primary language.

• Prohibits suspension of first through third grade students except for illegal drug use or serious Code of Student Conduct violations threatening safety; limits in-school suspension to 5 consecutive days per period, 15 periods per year, and 40 cumulative days per year.

• Requires all early child care providers and private schools to annually report suspension and expulsion data to the Department of Public Instruction and appropriates $2 million to assist school units with implementation beginning July 1, 2024.