SB1459 is a bill that mandates each school district and charter school in Arizona to include a rubric for student discipline in every student handbook, which must be based on objective criteria and not consider a student's identity factors such as religion, race, sex, color, ethnicity, ancestry, or national origin. Schools are also required to annually report to the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) the total number of student discipline referrals submitted by teachers, the number of referrals where disciplinary action was taken, and the percentage of referrals where no action was implemented. If a school fails to take disciplinary action in at least 75% of referrals, without reasonable justification, ADE is required to reduce the school's annual achievement profile letter grade by two letter grades.

The bill also prohibits schools and administrators from discouraging teachers from submitting discipline referrals and allows teachers to report such violations to ADE, which can investigate and adjust the school's reported discipline data accordingly. Additionally, ADE must conduct an annual survey to determine if any school personnel considered a student's identity when deciding on discipline referrals or actions. The bill includes amendments that clarify the prohibition on discouragement, the process for reporting and investigating violations, and the requirement for ADE to administer a survey assessing potential biases in discipline referrals.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 15-746.01
Senate Engrossed Version: 15-746.01
House Engrossed Version: 15-746.01