Legislative Council Votes to Introduce School Discipline Bill Next Year

DENVER—Legislative Council voted on Tuesday to introduce legislation that would allow educators more discretion over expulsions and police referrals.

The Fair School Discipline Task Force was commissioned to study school discipline practices in Colorado in the hopes of ending a trend experts call the “school-to-prison pipeline.” In the past ten years, schools in Colorado have referred nearly 100,000 students to law enforcement officials. In one instance, a 10-year-old boy who stole a piece of gum from his teacher was cited with misdemeanor theft.

“The object of discipline is correction, not criminalization,” said State Rep. B.J. Nikkel, a member of legislative council, who sponsored the legislation that commissioned the task force’s study.

The proposed legislation would eliminate zero-tolerance policies, which many experts blame for needless expulsions and police referrals, and also afford parents more transparency in the disciplinary process.

Lawmakers caution that the bill will likely see changes before its introduction, likely to accommodate and facilitate changes schools will have to make in training and disciplinary codes.

“The bill my colleagues and I have put together still needs work,” said Nikkel, R-Loveland. “However, I remain confident the bill we introduce next year will be balanced and fair to both students and their educators.”

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