Read the full stored bill text
SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE BILL NO. 1767
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBL Y
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENT A TIVE LEWIS.
4307H.01I JOSEPH ENGLER, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
T o amend chapter 160, RSMo, by adding thereto four new sections relating to rights of
parents and educators.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 160, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto four new sections, to
2 be known as sections 160.1052, 160.1053, 160.1054, and 160.1055, to read as follows:
160.1052. 1. Sections 160.1052 to 160.1055 shall be known and may be cited as
2 the "Missouri Educators and Par ental Empowerment and Rights Act".
3 2. As used in sections 160.1052 to 160.1055, the following terms mean:
4 (1) "Local educational agency" or "LEA", each:
5 (a) School district as defined in section 160.01 1;
6 (b) Charter school as described in section 160.400; and
7 (c) V irtual school as described in section 161.670;
8 (2) "Paren t", a child's pare nt, legal guardian, or other person having charge,
9 contr ol, or custody of the child.
10 3. The general assembly her eby r ecognizes that:
11 (1) The collaboration of both par ents and teachers has a profoun d effect on the
12 educational success of Missouri's children;
13 (2) Education is essential to the pr eservation of the rights and liberties of the
14 people;
15 (3) Considering that par ents are the first teachers of their children and are
16 uniquely qualified to understand and advocate for their children, the state reco gnizes
17 the importance of par ents in the education of their children ; and
EXPLANA TION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is
intended to be omitted from the law . Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.
18 (4) Considering the years of education and continuous updating of knowledge
19 that teachers undertake and achieve, it is important that teachers be given the res pect
20 such teachers have earned and deserve.
160.1053. 1. This section shall be known and may be cited as the "Parents ' Bill
2 of Rights".
3 2. T o foster and maintain collaboration between par ents and teachers, par ents
4 shall have the following rights under this section:
5 (1) The right to r eceive information, upon requ est, regard ing what their minor
6 child is being taught in school including, but not limited to, curricula adopted under
7 section 160.514;
8 (2) The right to rev iew such curricula, upon r equest, fr ee fr om any req uirement
9 to agree to a nondisclosure agr eement or other similar form, as allowed by law;
10 (3) The right to rece ive information, upon requ est, about who is teaching their
11 minor child including, but not limited to, guest lectur ers and outside present ers;
12 (4) The right to receive information, upon r equest, about individuals and
13 organizations recei ving LEA contracts and funding in the LEA in which their minor
14 child is enr olled, except that no personally identifiable information about any student
15 shall be re leased;
16 (5) The right to visit the school their minor child attends during school hours in
17 accordance with reas onable regul ations creat ed under section 160.1055;
18 (6) The right to view and, upon requ est, receive a copy of all school r ecords,
19 medical or otherwise, concerning their minor child, in accordance with state and federal
20 law;
21 (7) The right to r eceive information, upon re quest, about the collection of their
22 minor child's data and the transmission of such data to entities outside the LEA;
23 (8) The right to have an LEA governing board that is open, transpar ent, and
24 accountable to the patrons of the LEA under state and federal laws;
25 (9) The right to be informed re garding situations affecting their minor child's
26 safety in school, in accordance with section 160.1055;
27 (10) The right to pr ovide authorization for their minor child to participate in
28 field trips; and
29 (1 1) The right to be free fro m their minor child being encouraged or
30 experiencing any attempt at coer cion to withhold information fr om such minor child's
31 par ents by an LEA employee, except that any such employee req uire d to report
32 suspected abuse or neglect under sections 210.109 to 210.183 may encourage a minor
33 child to withhold information wher e disclosure could rea sonably r esult in abuse or
34 neglect.
HB 1767 2
160.1054. 1. This section shall be known and may be cited as the "Educators'
2 Bill of Rights".
3 2. T o foster and maintain collaboration between teachers and par ents, each
4 teacher has the following rights under this section:
5 (1) The right to be fr ee fr om physical abuse fr om a student. Such abuse is
6 gr ounds for the suspension or expulsion of the student as prov ided in chapter 167;
7 (2) The right to be fr ee fr om physical abuse from a par ent and to be protect ed
8 fr om oral, written, or electr onically generated thr eats of harm. Such abuse is grou nds
9 for the pr ohibition of the physical pr esence of the perpetrator of such abuse on the
10 LEA's pro perty and at the LEA's events and may re sult in other legal actions taken by
11 such teacher;
12 (3) The right to be evaluated for competency by an administrator under board
13 policy and, upon r equest, to be assigned a peer mentor to observe and coach the teacher;
14 (4) The right to exer cise the fr eedom of speech, reli gion, and the expre ssion of
15 such teacher's opinions as is guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States;
16 (5) The right to be tr eated with civility and res pect as a pr ofessional;
17 (6) The right to be given regul arly scheduled pr eparation time during contract
18 hours;
19 (7) The right to teach pr otected by official immunity , as prov ided by state law ,
20 and to be covered by LEA insurance for work-rel ated duties;
21 (8) The right to have the opportunity to implement a discipline plan in the
22 classr oom as allowed in section 160.1055 and to have the opportunity to prov ide the
23 administration with such teacher's pro fessional opinion regard ing the discipline of a
24 student;
25 (9) The right to be consider ed a profes sional, with all the appro priate rights,
26 r esponsibilities, and privileges afforded to other recogn ized profes sions, in accordance
27 with section 168.01 1;
28 (10) The right to teach in a safe, secure, and orderly envir onment that is
29 conducive to learning and to repor t any concerns rega rding the safety and security of
30 the teaching envir onment and receive a r esponse fr om the LEA;
31 (1 1) The right to intervene for the protect ion of pupils in incidents of school
32 violence and be entitled to all defenses to criminal charges available to the intervenor
33 under chapter 563; and
34 (12) If such teacher is a beginning teacher , the right to r eceive leadership and
35 support in accordance with beginning teacher assistance prog rams as pro vided in state
36 law .
HB 1767 3
160.1055. 1. Each local educational agency shall develop policies and proced ures
2 for such LEA to follow to accommodate and assist paren ts and teachers in the exer cise
3 of the rights described in sections 160.1052 to 160.1055.
4 2. Each LEA's governing board shall affirm the board's commitment to ensuring
5 sufficient and effective accountability and transpar ency to par ents in the LEA's
6 jurisdiction by adopting policies that:
7 (1) Recognize and affirm the protected right of paren ts to guide the education of
8 their minor child;
9 (2) Encourage communication between par ents and the LEA r elating to par ental
10 rights and par ental concerns about their minor child's education and educational
11 experience thr ough the LEA's community engagement initiatives req uired under
12 162.058; and
13 (3) Collaborate with par ents to identify ways in which par ents can exercise
14 par ental rights and communicate such ways to par ents in a clear , consistent manner that
15 can be easily understood by all par ents.
16 3. Each local educational agency shall notify par ents in a timely manner if their
17 child is involved in a safety incident in which a school employee is charged with a crime.
18 4. Each local educational agency shall prov ide pr ompt notification to par ents of
19 any serious disciplinary incidents involving their child and shall offer a meeting or
20 confer ence to discuss the behavior and outline steps for corr ection and improv ement.
21 5. (1) Each local educational agency shall adopt reas onable pr ocedur es for
22 par ents to follow when visiting their minor child during school hours.
23 (2) Each local educational agency shall adopt reas onable proce dures for par ents
24 to follow:
25 (a) During an emergency in which the safety of the students r equir es:
26 a. A lockdown to limit exposur e of building occupants to an imminent hazard or
27 thr eat; or
28 b. A lockout to pr event an outside hazard or thr eat fr om entering the building;
29 or
30 (b) When such local educational agency is requ ired to proh ibit an individual
31 fr om having any interaction with a minor child due to an order enter ed under any
32 pr ovision of state or federal law re stricting or pr ohibiting such individual fr om
33 interacting with such minor child or the LEA has otherwise pr ohibited the individual
34 fr om accessing school pr operty or events.
35 6. (1) T eachers, school administrators, paren ts, and students shall be fully
36 informed of the rights conferred upon par ents and teachers under sections 160.1052 to
HB 1767 4
37 160.1055. Each LEA shall pr ovide a physical or electr onic copy of sections 160.1052 to
38 160.1055 to each par ent, teacher , and student at the beginning of each school year .
39 (2) Each local educational agency shall post the rights listed in sections 160.1052
40 to 160.1055 on such LEA's website or pr ovide a printed copy if no website exists.
41 7. (1) Each local educational agency shall adopt, enfor ce, publicly post, and
42 annually r eview a code of student conduct as described in sections 160.1052 to 160.1055.
43 (2) Such code of conduct shall pr omote safe, res pectful, and orderly learning
44 envir onments by r einforcin g teacher authority in maintaining classr oom discipline and
45 enhancing par ental involvement in student behavioral issues and shall set forth
46 expectations for behavior consistent with ethical responsibi lity , community standards,
47 and regard for school authority .
48 (3) Each local educational agency shall adopt such code of student conduct for
49 the 2027-28 school year and all subsequent school years.
50 (4) The state department of elementary and secondary education may offer
51 guidance and technical assistance to local educational agencies to ensur e compliance.
52 The department shall not impose undue burdens or mandates on such LEAs.
53 8. The code of student conduct requ ired under subsection 7 of this section shall:
54 (1) Reinfor ce res pect for teachers, administrators, and staff, emphasizing that
55 willful disobedience or disr egard toward school personnel is not tolerated;
56 (2) Pr omote high expectations of personal res ponsibility , encouraging students to
57 uphold values such as honesty , diligence, and civility;
58 (3) Include measur es to addr ess and corr ect disruptive behavior pr omptly ,
59 ensuring that teachers have the necessary authority and support to r emove students
60 fr om classr ooms when warranted, in accordance with training prov ided by the LEA;
61 (4) Outline a system of graduated consequences for misconduct, balanced by
62 opportunities for students to develop personal res ilience and ref lect on their actions
63 thr ough LEA-approv ed interventions;
64 (5) Require paren tal notification and involvement in significant disciplinary
65 actions, ensuring that par ents have timely information and opportunities to engage with
66 teachers and administrators; and
67 (6) Clearly proh ibit any policy or pr ogram that differ entiates tr eatment of
68 students primarily on the basis of race alone, ensuring that all disciplinary measur es ar e
69 applied equally and fairly to every student.
70 9. (1) A local educational agency may , at such LEA's discr etion and with the
71 LEA's governing board's appr oval, incorporate evidence-based training for teachers
72 and counselors on strategies to guide students toward personal re silience.
73 (2) Such strategies may include:
HB 1767 5
74 (a) Encouraging personal res ponsibility and self-management;
75 (b) Pr oviding students with opportunities to develop coping skills, conflict
76 r esolution techniques, and appr opriate res ponses to authority; and
77 (c) Using school counselors or other qualified personnel to offer supportive
78 interventions that emphasize respe ct for self and others, pr oblem solving, and
79 perseverance.
80 (3) The content and method of delivering such strategies shall not r efere nce or
81 r equir e any training or curriculum primarily focused on race, gender , or other similar
82 classifications. Such strategies shall emphasize universal community standards that
83 benefit all students equally .
84 10. Each local educational agency shall ensure that teachers and staff are trained
85 in methods to maintain order , encourage compliance, foster civility , and encourage
86 personal res ponsibility .
87 1 1. Each local educational agency shall make efforts to facilitate par ental
88 engagement thr ough regul ar communication, opportunities for paren ts to rev iew and
89 understand the policy handbook, and the pr ovision of re sources that support ethical
90 r esponsibility and community standards at home.
91 12. Each LEA's governing board shall adopt such policies and proce dures
92 r equir ed by this section for the 2027-28 school year and all subsequent school years.
93 13. No LEA shall establish policies that prev ent a par ent or teacher fr om
94 exer cising the applicable rights listed in sections 160.1052 to 160.1055 or any other
95 pr ovision of law .
96 14. No pr ovision of sections 160.1052 to 160.1055 shall be construed to supersede
97 any other federal or state law or any regul ation or policy adopted by the state
98 department of elementary and secondary education or the state board of education.
99 15. No pr ovision of sections 160.1052 to 160.1055 shall be construed to supersede
100 any LEA's order , ordinance, or policy relat ing to the discipline of students.
✔
HB 1767 6