The Iowa Legislature passed a bill for how teachers and staff deal with violent classroom behavior.

District 24 Senator Jerry Behn of Boone says the bill focuses on three key areas, including limits of how a classroom can be cleared due to a student’s violent behavior, protecting teachers for liability if they are involved in these situations and establishing alternative placements for violent children. He points out the bill is in response to reports of children acting violently in a classroom, destroying property and forcing education interruptions for other students. Behn notes they wanted to clear up language from a federal government guideline regarding students being in a “least restrictive environment.”

“That was kind of the buzzword, where people felt like in order to have the ‘least restrictive environment’ they had to keep them in the classroom. We said, ‘Hey the least restrictive environment’ isn’t always the classroom.”

The bill also outlines school districts’ access to grant funds to create therapeutic classrooms for violent students if they meet certain criteria. Behn says another important aspect of the bill is protecting teachers from liability lawsuits.

“We felt like when you’re acting in good faith, and you’re working hard, and you’re trying to do the best for the child – and that’s ultimately why schools exist is to educate the child and help them become a member of society – if they’re struggling to do that, and they’re trying to do the best job they can, the last thing they need are lawsuits.”

The bill is awaiting Governor Kim Reynolds’ signature to become law. 

https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=88&ba=SSB3080