Colorado Bill Would Give Schools More Discretion

The Denver Post

Educators would have more discretion over expulsions and police referrals under legislation that might be introduced in the 2012 session.
Over the summer, a state task force that included both victim advocates and state legislators developed recommendations to end a trend some experts describe as the "school-to- prison pipeline." In the past decade, Colorado schools made 100,000 referrals to law enforcement.
On Tuesday, the Colorado Legislative Council, a bipartisan panel of members from the House and Senate, voted 11-7 to greenlight the introduction of the legislation.
If passed, the legislation would eliminate zero-tolerance policies and also afford parents more transparency in the disciplinary process.
"The object of discipline is correction, not criminalization," said Rep. B.J. Nikkel, R-Loveland, a member of the legislative committee who voted yes. She also was on the task force.
House Speaker Frank McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch, voted against the proposed legislation.
"Based on explanations about the amount of work that needs to be done on this bill, there's no way for me to tell whether it fits within the committee's charge, so my response was 'no,' " he said.