SENATE BILL REPORT

                  SHB 1086

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

                   Education, April 3, 1997

Title:  An act relating to removing a child from school grounds.

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

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

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Education:  3/28/97, 4/3/97 [DPA].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended.

  Signed by Senators Hochstatter, Chair; Finkbeiner, Vice Chair; Johnson, Rasmussen and Zarelli.

Staff:  Susan Mielke (786-7422)7

Background:  School districts are required to 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 students in grades nine through twelve.

Summary of Amended Bill:  The authorization requirement for removal of students from school grounds is modified.

No student may be removed from school grounds without authorization from the student's parent or legal guardian. 

The authorization requirement is applicable to school employees or their designees, unless:

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

$the removal is for student transportation to or from school or an extracurricular activity;

$the student needs emergency medical care and the parent cannot be contacted to transport the student;

$the student is being removed by security personnel for disciplinary reasons.

Language is added to permit students to be removed in response to a 911 call.

Amended Bill Compared to Substitute Bill:  The striking amendment adds language to permit students to be removed in response to a 911 call.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  Parents need to know their kids are at school.  It is ironic that a school employee cannot take a student off-campus on a field trip without parental permission but can take a student off-campus for an abortion.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Representative Mulliken, prime sponsor (pro).