Colorado School Discipline Laws & Regulations: Discipline Frameworks

Discipline Compendium

Colorado School Discipline Laws & Regulations: Discipline Frameworks

Category: In-School Discipline
Subcategory: Discipline Frameworks
State: Colorado

The state or jurisdiction(s) you selected for this subcategory are shown below, followed by the laws and regulations. To add or change states, use the Back button and resubmit your search request.

To view a state profile showing school discipline laws and regulations in all subcategories for a given state, click on the state name.

LAWS

22-32-109.1. Board of education–specific powers and duties–safe school plan–conduct and discipline code–safe school reporting requirements–school response framework–school resource officers–definitions.

(1) Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) "Action taken" means a specific type of discipline, including but not limited to the following categories of discipline:

(I) In-school suspension;

(II) Out-of-school suspension;

(III) Classroom removal in accordance with board policy;

(IV) Expulsion;

(V) Referral to law enforcement; or

(VI) Any other form of discipline, which shall be officially identified as part of a board policy. [...]

(a) Conduct and discipline code.

(I) A concisely written conduct and discipline code that must be enforced uniformly, fairly, and consistently for all students. Copies of the code must be provided to each student upon enrollment at the preschool, elementary, middle, and high school levels and shall be posted or kept on file at each public school in the school district. The school district shall take reasonable measures to ensure that each student of each public school in the school district is familiar with the code. The code must include, but need not be limited to:

(A) General policies on student conduct, safety, and welfare;

(B) General policies and procedures for dealing with students who cause a disruption on school grounds, in a school vehicle, or at a school activity or sanctioned event, including a specific policy allowing a teacher to remove a disruptive student from his or her classroom. The policy shall state that, upon the third such removal from a teacher's class, the teacher may remove the disruptive student from the teacher's class for the remainder of the term of the class; except that a disruptive student shall not be removed from a teacher's class for the remainder of the term of the class unless the principal of the student's school or his or her designee has developed and implemented a behavior plan for the student. A behavior plan may be developed after the first such removal from class and shall be developed after the second removal from class. The general policies and procedures shall include a due process procedure, which at a minimum shall require that, as soon as possible after a removal, the teacher or the school principal shall contact the parent or legal guardian of the student to request his or her attendance at a student-teacher conference regarding the removal. Any policy or procedure adopted shall comply with applicable federal and state laws, including but not limited to laws regarding students with disabilities.

(C) Provisions for the initiation of suspension or expulsion proceedings for students who qualify as habitually disruptive students;

(D) Policies and procedures for the use of acts of reasonable and appropriate physical intervention or force in dealing with disruptive students; except that no board shall adopt a discipline code that includes provisions that are in conflict with the definition of child abuse in section 18-6-401 (1), C.R.S., and section 19-1-103 (1), C.R.S.;

(E) General policies and procedures for determining the circumstances under and the manner in which disciplinary actions, including suspension and expulsion, shall be imposed in accordance with the provisions of sections 22-33-105, 22-33-106, and 22-33-106.1;

(F) A specific policy concerning gang-related activities on school grounds, in school vehicles, and at school activities or sanctioned events;

(G) Written prohibition, consistent with section 22-33-106, of students from bringing or possessing dangerous weapons, drugs, or other controlled substances on school grounds, in a school vehicle, or at a school activity or sanctioned event and from using drugs or other controlled substances on school grounds, in a school vehicle, or at a school activity or sanctioned event;

(H) Written prohibition of students from using or possessing tobacco products on school grounds, in a school vehicle, or at a school activity or sanctioned event;

(I) A written policy concerning searches on school grounds, including searches of student lockers;

(J) A dress code policy that prohibits students from wearing apparel that is deemed disruptive to the classroom environment or to the maintenance of a safe and orderly school. The dress code policy may require students to wear a school uniform or may establish minimum standards of dress;

(K) On and after August 8, 2001, a specific policy concerning bullying prevention and education. Each school district shall ensure that the school district's policy, at a minimum, incorporates approaches, policies, and practices outlined in the model bullying prevention and education policy developed pursuant to section 22-2-144.

(L) Information concerning the school district's policies for the use of restraint and seclusion on students, including a reference to section 26-20-111 and information concerning the process for filing a complaint regarding the use of restraint or seclusion, as such process is set forth by rule of the state board pursuant to section 22-32-147.

(II) In creating and enforcing a school conduct and discipline code pursuant to subsection (2)(a)(I) of this section, each school district board of education, on and after August 1, 2013, shall:

(A) Impose proportionate disciplinary interventions and consequences, including but not limited to in-school suspensions, in response to student misconduct, which interventions and consequences are designed to reduce the number of expulsions, out-of-school suspensions, and referrals to law enforcement, except for such referrals to law enforcement as are required by state or federal law;

(B) Include plans for the appropriate use of prevention, intervention, restorative justice, peer mediation, counseling, or other approaches to address student misconduct, which approaches are designed to minimize student exposure to the criminal and juvenile justice system. The plans shall state that a school administration shall not order a victim's participation in a restorative justice practice or peer mediation if the alleged victim of an offending student's misconduct alleges that the misconduct constitutes unlawful sexual behavior, as defined in section 16-22-102 (9), C.R.S.; a crime in which the underlying factual basis involves domestic violence, as defined in section 18-6-800.3 (1), C.R.S.; stalking as defined in section 18-3-602, C.R.S.; or violation of a protection order, as defined in section 18-6-803.5, C.R.S.;

(C) Ensure that the implementation of the code complies with all state and federal laws concerning the education of students with disabilities, as defined in section 22-20-103 (5);

(D) Ensure that, in implementing the code, each school of the school district shows due consideration of the impact of certain violations of the code upon victims of such violations, in accordance with the provisions of Title IX of the United States Code and other state and federal laws; and

(E) Ensure that, in implementing the code, each school of the school district complies with the requirements of section 22-33-106.1.

22-33-201. Legislative declaration.

The general assembly hereby finds that except when a student's behavior would cause imminent harm to others in the school or when an incident requires automatic expulsion as defined by state law or a school's conduct and discipline code, expulsion should be the last step taken after several attempts to deal with a student who has discipline problems. The general assembly further finds that school districts should work with the student's parent or guardian and with state agencies and community-based nonprofit organizations to develop alternatives to help students who are at risk of expulsion before expulsion becomes a necessary step and to support students who are unable to avoid expulsion.

22-33-202. Identification of at-risk students.

(1) Each school district shall adopt policies to identify students who are at risk of suspension or expulsion from school. Students identified may include those who are truant, who have been or are likely to be declared habitually truant, or who are likely to be declared habitually disruptive. The school district shall provide students who are identified as at risk of suspension or expulsion with a plan to provide the necessary support services to help them avoid expulsion. The school district shall work with the student's parent or guardian in providing the services and may provide the services through agreements with appropriate local governmental agencies, appropriate state agencies, community-based organizations, and institutions of higher education entered into pursuant to section 22-33-204. The failure of the school district to identify a student for participation in an expulsion-prevention program or the failure of such program to remediate a student's behavior shall not be grounds to prevent school personnel from proceeding with appropriate disciplinary measures or used in any way as a defense in an expulsion proceeding.

(2) Each school district may provide educational services to students who are identified as at risk of suspension or expulsion from school. Any school district that provides educational services to students who are at risk of suspension or expulsion may apply for moneys through the expelled and at-risk student services grant program established in section 22-33-205 to assist in providing such educational services.

REGULATIONS

No relevant regulations found.

American Institutes for Research

U.S. Department of Education

The contents of the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments Web site were assembled under contracts from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Safe and Supportive Schools to the American Institutes for Research (AIR), Contract Number  91990021A0020.

This Web site is operated and maintained by AIR. The contents of this Web site do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the U.S. Department of Education nor do they imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education.

©2024 American Institutes for Research — Disclaimer   |   Privacy Policy   |   Accessibility Statement