SB331 - Revises provisions relating to education. (BDR 34-698)

S.B. 331 - *SB331* SENATE BILL NO. 331–SENATOR NEAL (BY REQUEST) MARCH 11, 2025 ____________ Referred to Committee on Education SUMMARY—Revises provisions relating to education. (BDR 34-698) FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: May have Fiscal Impact. Effect on the State: Yes. ~ EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted. AN ACT relating to education; revising provisions relating to complaints of incidents of discrimination or other unwanted or unsafe activities in a public school; revising provisions relating to the policy adopted by the State Board of Education to encourage parental and family involvement in supporting the education of their children; revising provisions relating to progressive discipline plans required to be established by the superintendent of each school district and the administrative heads of other public schools; and providing other matters properly relating thereto. Legislative Counsel’s Digest: Under existing law, the Director of the Office for a Safe and Respectful 1 Learning Environment in the Department of Education is required to investigate 2 certain reports or complaints of violations of applicable provisions of law regarding 3 discrimination based on race, bullying or cyber-bullying in a public school. (NRS 4 388.1323) Section 1 of this bill requires the Director to: (1) establish procedures by 5 which a person may file such a complaint; and (2) post the procedures on the 6 Internet website maintained by the Department. 7 Under existing law, the State Board of Education is required to adopt a policy 8 to encourage effective involvement and engagement by parents and families in 9 support of their children and the education of their children, which must include 10 certain elements and goals. (NRS 392.457) Section 2 of this bill requires the policy 11 to include the promotion of the involvement of parents and families in school 12 programs that support pupils, including, without limitation, programs to support 13 pupils with disabilities, pupils who are economically disadvantaged and pupils from 14 historically underserved communities. 15 Under existing law, the superintendent of each school district and the 16 administrative head of other public schools is required to establish a plan to provide 17 – 2 – - *SB331* for the progressive discipline of pupils, with input from certain school personnel 18 and the parents of pupils. (NRS 392.4644) Section 3 of this bill requires such a plan 19 to include a system to rate offenses by pupils on a progressive scale of seriousness. 20 The system must include, without limitation, threshold levels of accumulated 21 offenses that, when met, require intervening action to be taken by school 22 administrators and certain school personnel to prevent the commission of additional 23 offenses. 24 THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. NRS 388.1323 is hereby amended to read as 1 follows: 2 388.1323 1. The Office for a Safe and Respectful Learning 3 Environment is hereby created within the Department. 4 2. The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall appoint a 5 Director of the Office, who shall serve at the pleasure of the 6 Superintendent. 7 3. The Director of the Office shall ensure that the Office: 8 (a) Maintains a 24-hour, toll-free statewide hotline and Internet 9 website by which any person can report a violation of the provisions 10 of NRS 388.121 to 388.1395, inclusive, and obtain information 11 about antidiscrimination and anti-bullying efforts and organizations; 12 and 13 (b) Provides outreach and antidiscrimination and anti-bullying 14 education and training for pupils, parents and guardians, teachers, 15 administrators, coaches and other staff members and the members of 16 a governing body. The outreach and training must include, without 17 limitation: 18 (1) Training regarding methods, procedures and practice for 19 recognizing discrimination based on race, bullying and cyber- 20 bullying behaviors; 21 (2) Training regarding effective intervention and remediation 22 strategies regarding discrimination based on race, bullying and 23 cyber-bullying; 24 (3) Training regarding methods for reporting violations of 25 NRS 388.135; and 26 (4) Information on and referral to available resources 27 regarding suicide prevention and the relationship between 28 discrimination based on race, bullying or cyber-bullying and 29 suicide, including, without limitation, resources for pupils who are 30 members of groups at a high risk of suicide. Such groups include, 31 without limitation, the groups described in subsection 3 of 32 NRS 388.256. 33 – 3 – - *SB331* 4. The Director of the Office shall establish procedures by 1 which a person may file a complaint, and the Office may receive 2 reports and complaints, of discrimination based on race, bullying 3 and cyber-bullying and complaints regarding violations of the 4 provisions of NRS 388.121 to 388.1395, inclusive. The Director of 5 the Office shall post the procedures for filing a complaint on the 6 Internet website maintained by the Department. 7 5. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the Director 8 of the Office or his or her designee shall investigate any complaint 9 that a teacher, administrator, coach or other staff member or 10 member of a governing body has violated a provision of NRS 11 388.121 to 388.1395, inclusive. If a complaint alleges criminal 12 conduct or an investigation leads the Director of the Office or his or 13 her designee to suspect criminal conduct, the Director of the Office 14 may request assistance from the Investigation Division of the 15 Department of Public Safety. The Director of the Office or his or her 16 designee is not required to investigate a complaint pursuant to this 17 subsection if the complaint is made through the SafeVoice Program 18 established pursuant to NRS 388.1455 and investigated by the team 19 appointed pursuant to paragraph (a) of subsection 1 of NRS 20 388.14553, unless the complaint alleges that a previous 21 investigation conducted by the team appointed pursuant to 22 paragraph (a) of subsection 1 of NRS 388.14553 regarding the same 23 matter failed to resolve the issue or was otherwise deficient. 24 Sec. 2. NRS 392.457 is hereby amended to read as follows: 25 392.457 1. The State Board shall, in consultation with the 26 boards of trustees of school districts, educational personnel, local 27 associations and organizations of parents whose children are 28 enrolled in public schools throughout this State and individual 29 parents and legal guardians whose children are enrolled in public 30 schools throughout this State, adopt a policy to encourage effective 31 involvement and engagement by parents and families in support of 32 their children and the education of their children. The policy 33 adopted by the State Board must be considered when the Board: 34 (a) Consults with the boards of trustees of school districts in the 35 adoption of policies pursuant to subsection 3; and 36 (b) Interacts with school districts, public schools, educational 37 personnel, parents, legal guardians and families of pupils, and 38 members of the general public in carrying out its duties pursuant to 39 this title. 40 2. The policy adopted by the State Board pursuant to 41 subsection 1 must include the following elements and goals: 42 (a) Promotion of an atmosphere for parents and families to visit 43 the school that their children attend and feel welcome, valued and 44 – 4 – - *SB331* connected to the staff of the school, other parents and families and 1 to the education of their children. 2 (b) Promotion of regular, two-way, meaningful communication 3 between parents, families and schools relating to learning by pupils. 4 (c) Collaboration among parents, families and schools to support 5 learning by pupils and healthy development of pupils at home and 6 school. 7 (d) Empowerment of parents and families to advocate for their 8 children and the children of other parents and families to ensure that 9 all pupils are treated fairly and have access to learning opportunities 10 that support pupil achievement. 11 (e) Promotion of an equal partnership between parents, families 12 and schools in making decisions that affect children, parents and 13 families and in informing, influencing and creating school policies, 14 practices and programs. 15 (f) Promotion of the involvement of parents and families in 16 school programs to support pupils, including, without limitation, 17 programs to support pupils with disabilities, pupils who are 18 economically disadvantaged and pupils from historically 19 underserved communities. 20 (g) Collaboration of parents, families and schools with the 21 community to connect pupils, parents, families and schools with 22 learning opportunities, community services and civic participation. 23 3. The board of trustees of each school district shall, in 24 consultation with the State Board, educational personnel, local 25 associations and organizations of parents whose children are 26 enrolled in public schools of the school district and individual 27 parents and legal guardians whose children are enrolled in public 28 schools of the school district, adopt policies to encourage effective 29 involvement and engagement by parents and families in support of 30 their children and the education of their children. The policies 31 adopted pursuant to this subsection must: 32 (a) Be consistent, to the extent applicable, with the policy 33 adopted by the State Board pursuant to subsection 1; 34 (b) Include the elements and goals specified in subsection 2; and 35 (c) Comply with the parental involvement policy required by the 36 federal Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, as set forth in 20 37 U.S.C. § 6318. 38 4. The State Board and the board of trustees of each school 39 district shall, at least once each year, review and amend their 40 respective policies as necessary. 41 Sec. 3. NRS 392.4644 is hereby amended to read as follows: 42 392.4644 1. The superintendent of each school district and 43 the administrative head of each charter school and university school 44 for profoundly gifted pupils shall establish a plan to provide for the 45 – 5 – - *SB331* progressive discipline of pupils and on-site review of disciplinary 1 decisions. The plan must: 2 (a) Be developed with the input and participation of teachers, 3 school administrators, school counselors, school social workers, 4 school psychologists, behavior analysts and other educational 5 personnel and support personnel who are employed at the public 6 school, pupils who are enrolled in the public school or schools 7 within the school district, as applicable, and the parents and 8 guardians of pupils who are enrolled in the public school or schools 9 within the school district, as applicable. 10 (b) Be consistent with the written rules of behavior prescribed in 11 accordance with NRS 392.463. 12 (c) Include, without limitation, provisions designed to address 13 the specific disciplinary needs and concerns of the public school or 14 each school within the school district, as applicable. 15 (d) Establish a system to rate offenses by pupils on a 16 progressive scale of seriousness for purposes of imposing 17 discipline. The system must include, without limitation, threshold 18 levels of accumulated offenses that, when met, require school 19 administrators, in coordination with an organizational team 20 established pursuant to NRS 388G.700, if applicable, to take 21 intervening actions to prevent the commission of additional 22 offenses. 23 (e) Prescribe methods of alternative conflict resolution and 24 interventions based on social and emotional learning that are 25 developed to avoid the need for the removal of a pupil. 26 [(e)] (f) Include provisions that authorize the temporary 27 removal of a pupil from a classroom or other premises of a public 28 school pursuant to NRS 392.4645. 29 [(f)] (g) Provide for the placement of a pupil in a more 30 restrictive educational environment at that school or at a different 31 public school or school within the school district, as applicable, in 32 accordance with NRS 392.466. 33 [(g)] (h) Include the names of any members of a committee to 34 review the temporary alternative placement of pupils required by 35 NRS 392.4647. 36 [(h)] (i) Include consideration of the results of the data collected 37 and reported pursuant to NRS 392.462 and include methods for 38 addressing the occurrences of the suspension, expulsion or removal 39 of pupils from school that disproportionately affect pupils who 40 belong to a group of pupils listed in subsection 2 of NRS 385A.250. 41 [(i)] (j) Be provided to each school over which the 42 superintendent or administrative head has authority and posted on 43 the Internet website maintained by the public school. 44 – 6 – - *SB331* [(j)] (k) Be in accordance with a plan to use disciplinary 1 practices based on restorative justice developed pursuant to 2 subsection 2, if applicable. 3 2. The superintendent of a school district shall, in addition to 4 establishing a plan to provide for the progressive discipline of pupils 5 pursuant to subsection 1, establish a plan to use disciplinary 6 practices based on restorative justice. Such a plan must: 7 (a) Authorize the use of disciplinary practices based on 8 restorative justice which include, without limitation: 9 (1) Holding a pupil accountable for his or her behavior; 10 (2) Restoration or remedies related to the behavior of the 11 pupil; 12 (3) Relief for any victim of the pupil; and 13 (4) Changing the behavior of the pupil; and 14 (b) Be in accordance with the statewide framework for 15 restorative justice developed pursuant to NRS 388.1333, including, 16 without limitation, by addressing the occurrences of the suspension, 17 expulsion or removal of pupils from schools that disproportionately 18 affect pupils who belong to a group of pupils listed in subsection 2 19 of NRS 385A.250. 20 3. On or before September 15 of each year, the principal of 21 each public school shall: 22 (a) Review the plan established by subsection 1 in consultation 23 with the teachers, school administrato [Text truncated for display. Full text available on LegiScan.]