As Introduced

130th General Assembly Regular Session 2013-2014

S. B. No. 167

Senator Tavares 

Cosponsors: Senators Schiavoni, Brown, Sawyer 

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A BILL

To amend section 3313.534 of the Revised Code with

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respect to school district policies for violent,

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disruptive, or inappropriate behavior.

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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. That section 3313.534 of the Revised Code be	4
amended to read as follows:	5

Sec. 3313.534. No later than July 1, 1998, the(A) The board	6
of education of each city, exempted village, and local school	7
district shall adopt aeliminate any policy of zero tolerance for	8
violent, disruptive, or inappropriate behavior, including	9
excessive truancy, and establish strategies to address such	10
behavior that range from prevention to interventionadopted under	11
this section as it existed prior to the effective date of this	12
amendment. Thereafter, no board shall adopt or readopt any policy	13
of zero tolerance for such behavior. Each board shall instead	14
adopt a policy that allows for many factors to be considered prior	15
to the suspension or expulsion of a student. The policy shall	16
establish alternative strategies, including prevention,	17
intervention, restorative justice, peer mediation, and counseling,	18
to address both of the following:	19

(1) Discipline for student behavioral problems;

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(2) Harassment, intimidation, and bullying, as defined by	21
section 3313.666 of the Revised Code.	22

(B) No later than July 1, 1999, each of the big eight school	23
districts, as defined in section 3314.02 of the Revised Code,	24
shall establish under section 3313.533 of the Revised Code at	25
least one alternative school to meet the educational needs of	26
students with severe discipline problems, including, but not	27
limited to, excessive truancy, excessive disruption in the	28
classroom, and multiple suspensions or expulsions. Any other	29
school district that attains after that date a significantly	30
substandard graduation rate, as defined by the department of	31
education, shall also establish such an alternative school under	32
that section.	33

Section 2. That existing section 3313.534 of the Revised Code	34
is hereby repealed.	35

Section 3. Zero tolerance policies often punish a student	36
with a behavioral problem twice by both expelling that student and	37
preventing that student's education during the expulsion.	38
Therefore, in passing this act, it is the intent of the General	39
Assembly to provide support for students with behavioral problems	40
and to ensure that such students remain in school.	41