FINAL BILL REPORT

                 SHB 1086

                         C 411 L 97

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Establishing criteria that limit school employees' ability to remove students from school.

Sponsors:  By House Committee on Education (originally sponsored by  Representatives Mulliken, Johnson, Koster, Sump, Thompson, Crouse, Mielke and Sherstad).

House Committee on Education

Senate Committee on Education

Background:  School districts must have policies to ensure that a student is not removed from school grounds during school hours unless the student=s parent or legal guardian authorizes the removal.  This authorization requirement does not have to apply to secondary students in grades nine through 12.  For secondary students, school districts must have an open campus policy that specifies any restrictions on students leaving secondary school grounds during school hours.  High school students may be removed from school grounds without parental notification or authorization.

Summary:  Conditions for removing school district students from school grounds without parental authorization are established. 

The conditions for removing students from school grounds are applicable to students in grades nine through 12.  School employees or their designees may not remove students from school grounds during school hours without parental authorization unless:

$the school employee is the student=s parent, legal guardian, or immediate family member;

$the removal is for student transportation purposes or extracurricular activities; or

$the removal is in response to a medical emergency and the employee cannot reach the parent to transport the student.

School security personnel may remove a student from school grounds without parental permission for disciplinary reasons.  Students may be removed in response to a 911 emergency call. 

Students may leave secondary school grounds only in accordance with a school's open campus policy.

Votes on Final Passage:

House  55 40

Senate 48 1 (Senate amended)

House  97 0 (House concurred)

House  68 29 (House reconsidered)

Effective:July 27, 1997