Summary:

 House Bill 490 (HB 490), relating to public schools, requires changes to school discipline policies. HB 490 provides provides additional characteristics that are protected from discipline, discrimination or disparate treatment. HB 490 makes report on the online portal relating to behavior of students or school personnel confidential. 

Legislation Overview:

 House Bill 490 in SECTION 1 amends  Public Schools in School Discipline Policies to change the title to:
SCHOOL DISCIPLINE POLICIES--RACIAL SENSITIVITY AND ANTI-RACISM TRAINING--ONLINE PORTAL FOR REPORTING RACIALLY MOTIVATED INCIDENTS AND RACIALIZED AGGRESSION INVOLVING STUDENTS OR SCHOOL PERSONNEL--STUDENTS MAY SELF-ADMINISTER CERTAIN MEDICATIONS.--
Subsection A which provides that local school boards shall establish student discipline policies to specify that no local school board shall allow for the imposition of discrimination or disparate treatment against a student to expand the direction to include disability, home language, gender, or level of family income. Subsection A also has inserted direction that no student shall be demeaned, bullied or punished for any of these characteristics or use of cultural symbols. 
Subsection D, which requires all school discipline policies shall define and include a specific prohibition against racialized aggression, directs that every school district and charter school shall provide links to the statewide online portal to report racially motivated incidents or radicalized aggression. 
Subsection D exempts information in connection with the submission from the Inspection of Public Records Act.