A bill

to amend the South Carolina Code of Laws by adding Section 59-63-205 so as to provide public schools shall establish disciplinary classrooms exclusively for the assignment of students subject to discipline not meriting suspension or expulsion, to provide assignment decisions are discretionary for teachers in consultation with principals and school counselors or other mental health professionals, to provide staffing and function requirements for disciplinary classrooms, to require the development of individual progress plans for reassigning disciplinary classroom students to their classrooms, and to provide related rights for parents and guardians of students assigned to disciplinary classrooms.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1.   Article 3, Chapter 63, Title 59 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

   Section 59-63-205.   (A) Each public school in this State shall establish a disciplinary classroom to be used exclusively for the temporary assignment of students subject to discipline not meriting suspension or expulsion. The decision to make an assignment to the disciplinary classroom is in the discretion of the student's teacher in consultation with the principal and a certified school guidance counselor or mental health professional.

   (B) Each disciplinary classroom must be staffed with:

         (1) a teacher who shall assist the students with their schoolwork assignments provided by their classroom teacher; and

         (2) a certified school guidance counselor or mental health professional who shall provide counseling services to the student.

   (C) A student in a disciplinary classroom must continue to receive schoolwork assignments provided by their classroom teacher to ensure the student's continued academic progress, while also receiving additional mental health counseling and support. The student's teacher, disciplinary classroom teacher, principal, and guidance counselor or other mental health professional shall collaboratively develop a progress plan to enable the student to continue receiving academic instruction while also receiving mental health counseling or other counseling and services and support. The goal of the progress plan is to return the student to the classroom in a timeframe and manner that balances the interests of the student with the best interests of the student's classmates and teacher.

   (D) When a student is assigned to a disciplinary classroom, the principal shall notify, in writing, the parents or legal guardian of the student, giving the reason for the assignment and setting a time and place when the student's teacher, principal, and guidance counselor or other mental health professional available for a conference with the parents or guardian. The conference shall be set within three days of the date of the suspension.

SECTION 2.   This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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