Sub. S.B. No. 246 - SAFE Act Summary

• Enacts the "Supporting Alternatives for Education Act" to prohibit out-of-school suspensions and expulsions for students in grades pre-kindergarten through three, except for specified serious offenses or immediate health/safety threats.

• Requires all public school districts to implement a positive behavior intervention and supports (PBIS) framework system-wide and establishes state standards for PBIS implementation and physical restraint/seclusion policies.

• Mandates teacher preparation programs include semester-long coursework on PBIS, social-emotional development, classroom systems, and trauma-informed practices for educators teaching grades pre-K through five.

• Provides a phased implementation schedule from 2017-2021, requiring school districts to progressively reduce out-of-school suspensions for non-serious offenses in early grades by 25%, 50%, and 100% in successive years.

• Appropriates $2,000,000 in competitive grants for fiscal year 2019 to eligible schools and districts implementing PBIS frameworks or evidence-based social-emotional learning initiatives, with priority given to high-poverty and high-suspension schools.