GET THE LEAD OUT OF SCHOOL DRINKING WATER (Sections 160.077 and 701.200)
The act modifies provisions of the "Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water Act".
The act provides that a school may filter water to reduce lead levels when the water supply is the source of lead contamination. The act prohibits a school from using flushing practices to reduce lead levels as part of the school's remediation plan.
The act specifies that a filter used to reduce lead levels in a school's drinking water supply shall be installed in accordance with any relevant requirements set forth by the Department of Natural Resources.
The act adds removal of a drinking water outlet from service to the list of steps a school may take if testing shows that the building's plumbing is causing lead contamination.
The act repeals a provision exempting school buildings constructed after January 4, 2014, from the requirement to install, maintain, or replace filters.
Finally, the act repeals provisions relating to testing for lead in school buildings constructed before 1996.
These provisions are identical to HB 995 (2025) and substantially similar to SB 581 (2025).
CALCULATION OF STUDENT ATTENDANCE (Section 160.265)
The act provides that a student who has been suspended or expelled from a public school shall be counted as being in attendance for purposes of calculating the school's attendance rate under the Missouri School Improvement Plan and the school's weighted average daily attendance as used in the calculation of state aid.
This provision is substantially similar to a provision in HCS/SS/SB 266 (2025).
COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLANS (Section 160.480)
Currently, school districts are authorized to adopt a comprehensive emergency preparedness plan addressing the use of school resources in the event of a natural disaster or other community emergency.
Under this act, school districts and charter schools shall adopt a "comprehensive emergency operations plan" that addresses school safety, crises, and emergency operations; prevention, preparation, operations, and follow-up; collaboration with local law enforcement, fire protection services, and emergency management; and consideration of supporting mental health needs of all involved in any crisis. The emergency operations plan shall be shared with local law enforcement, fire protection services, and emergency management. The governing board of each school district and charter school shall ensure the completion of a physical security site assessment at each facility annually.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) shall develop standards for emergency operations plans and ensure compliance with the adoption of these plans annually. DESE shall also develop standards for the annual physical security site assessments using nationally accepted methodology and shall ensure compliance with the completion of these assessments annually.
This provision is identical to provisions in SCS/HB 232 (2025) and HB 416 (2025).
CARDIAC EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANS (Section 160.482)
For the 2026-27 school year and all subsequent school years, this act requires every public school, including charter schools, to develop and implement a cardiac emergency response plan that addresses the appropriate use of school personnel to respond to incidents involving an individual experiencing sudden cardiac arrest or a similar life-threatening emergency while on a school campus.
Members of each school's administration shall coordinate with local emergency services providers to integrate the public school's cardiac emergency response plan into the local emergency services providers' protocols. A cardiac emergency response plan shall integrate evidence-based core elements, such as those recommended by the American Heart Association guidelines, Project ADAM (Automated Defibrillators in Adam's Memory), or another set of nationally recognized, evidence-based standards or core elements.
The act outlines certain guidelines that a cardiac emergency response plan shall integrate, including the establishment of a cardiac emergency response team, the placement of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) throughout the school campus, and the registration of AEDs with the Missouri 911 Service Board. Appropriate AED placement shall be dictated by the cardiac emergency response plan and in accordance with guidelines set by the American Heart Association or nationally recognized guidelines focused on emergency cardiovascular care.
For schools with an athletic department or organized school athletic program, an AED shall be clearly marked and easily accessible in an unlocked location at each athletic venue and event. The AED shall be accessible during the school day and any school-sponsored athletic event or team practice.
Appropriate school personnel shall be certified in first
aid, CPR, and AED use, as provided in the act. The school personnel required to be trained shall be determined by the cardiac emergency response plan and shall include, but shall not be limited to, athletic coaches, school nurses, and athletic trainers.
Schools shall not be required to purchase AEDs unless the General Assembly specifically appropriates funds. Nothing in the act prohibits schools from seeking alternative funding sources.
This provision is similar to SS/SCS/SBs 166 & 155 (2025), SCS/SBs 1032 & 1081 (2024), and provisions in and SCS/HB 232 (2025), HB 416 (2025), and HB 1991 (2024).
STOP THE BLEED ACT (Section 160.485)
The act establishes the "Stop the Bleed Act" requiring DESE to develop a traumatic blood loss protocol for school personnel to follow in the event of a serious injury. The protocol shall be developed before January 1, 2026 for implementation in each school district and charter school before the end of the 2025-26 school year.
The act outlines the requirements of the protocol, including placing a bleeding control kit in areas where there is likely to be high traffic, such as auditoriums and cafeterias. Certain items shall be included in the bleeding control kit, such as bandages, protective gloves, and tourniquets. A bleeding control kit shall be restocked after each use, as provided in the act.
Each school district and charter school shall designate school personnel in each school building who shall receive annual training in the use of a bleeding control kit. The act describes the topics to be covered in such training, such as the proper application of dressings or bandages.
DESE shall, in collaboration with the United States Department of Homeland Security and the Missouri Department of Public Safety, include requirements in the traumatic blood loss protocol for school personnel to receive annual training in the use of bleeding control kits. The training requirements shall be satisfied by successful completion and certification under the "STOP THE BLEED" course as promulgated by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma or the American Red Cross. The training requirements may allow online instruction.
A bleeding control kit may contain any additional items that are approved by emergency medical services personnel, as provided in the act. Quantities of each item required to be in a bleeding control kit may be determined by each school district.
DESE, each school district, and each charter school shall maintain information about the Stop the Bleed Act on each entity's website. Upon request by a school district or a charter school, DESE may, in collaboration with the Department of Public Safety, direct the school district or charter school to resources that are available to provide bleeding control kits to the school district or charter school.
All costs related to the provision of bleeding control kits, kit restocking, and training of school personnel shall be subject to an appropriation by the General Assembly. A school district or charter school may receive donations of bleeding control kits or funds for the purchase of bleeding control kits that meet the requirements of the act.
This provision shall not be construed to create a cause of action against a school district, charter school, or school personnel. Any school personnel who in good faith use a bleeding control kit as provided in the act shall be immune from all civil liability for any act or omission in the use of a bleeding control kit unless the act or omission constitutes gross negligence or willful, wanton, or intentional misconduct.
This provision is identical to HB 266 (2025), HB 1487 (2024), HB 116 (2023), and provisions in HB 416 (2025), HB 844 (2025), HCS/HB 1946 (2024), and HCS/HB 497 (2023), and is substantially similar to HCS/HB 1722 (2022) and a provision in HCS/SS/SB 690 (2022).
GRADE-LEVEL EQUIVALENCE (Sections 160.518 and 160.522)
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) shall develop and use a grade-level equivalence metric to assess students' knowledge and performance for grades 3-8. DESE shall define and categorize performance-level descriptors for advanced, proficient, grade level, basic, and below basic achievement, as described in the act, with each level representing varying degrees of mastery over educational content and readiness for the next grade level. The grade-level equivalence for each student shall be determined at the time of the statewide assessment and provided alongside the student's assessment score to both the student and his or her parent. DESE shall also ensure that data related to grade-level equivalence is made publicly accessible on a building, school, district, and statewide level, while ensuring that no data is disclosed in a way that allows for the personal identification of any student, except by the student and the student's parent. DESE may engage a third-party nonprofit entity to assist in developing the grade-level equivalence metric. The grade-level equivalence data shall be included in the annual performance reports DESE is required to compile under current law.
These provisions are identical to provisions in SCS/HCS/HB 607 (2025), substantially similar to provisions in HCS/HB 712 (2025), and similar to HB 371 (2025).
SCHOOL SAFETY COORDINATORS (Section 160.660)
The act requires school districts to designate a primary and secondary school safety coordinator, rather than one designated safety coordinator. Each school district shall ensure that school safety coordinators complete specific training within one year of being appointed. The training options include certain courses offered by the Federal Emergency Management Administration or the Missouri School Boards' Association's Center for Education Safety.
This provision is identical to provisions in SCS/HB 232 (2025), HB 416 (2025), and HCS/HB 1946 (2024).
SCHOOL SAFETY MEASURES (Section 160.663)
The act requires school districts and charter schools to install anti-intruder door locks on all existing interior doors and all interior doors installed after August, 28, 2029. Notwithstanding these provisions, a school district or charter school shall not be required to equip an interior door with an anti-intruder door lock unless the General Assembly specifically appropriates funds.
Additionally, a school district or charter school may equip each school with one or more master key boxes to contain the necessary keys and access tools for fire protection and law enforcement agencies to gain access to exterior or interior doors or entryways, including those equipped with an anti-intruder door lock.
School districts and charter schools may receive donations of anti-intruder door locks and master key boxes or accept donations of funds to purchase such items.
School districts and charter schools shall develop policies to control building access prior to, or in conjunction with, installing anti-intruder door locks.
This provision is similar to provisions in SCS/HB 232 (2025), HB 416 (2025), and HCS/HB 1946 (2024).
SCHOOL SAFETY INCIDENT REPORTS (Section 160.664)
This act requires all local educational agencies (LEAs), defined as including any school district and any charter school that has declared itself an LEA, to report to DESE all school safety incidents and credible school safety threats that occur at each attendance center of the LEA, including all actual incidents or credible threats of school shootings or other incidents or threats involving a firearm, explosive, knife, or other weapon, as provided in the act. DESE may require LEAs to report acts of school violence or violent behavior, as such terms are defined in current law, or crimes required to be reported to law enforcement under current law.
DESE shall establish procedures for LEAs to follow when reporting a school safety incident or credible threat. These procedures shall include, but shall not be limited to, criteria to assist LEAs in determining what constitutes a school safety incident or credible threat that is required to be reported; a time frame within which such incident or threat shall be reported; and any other information required by DESE.
DESE shall maintain and regularly update a database of all school safety incidents and credible school safety threats that are reported pursuant to the provisions of the act. No record in the database shall contain personally identifiable information of a student. A record in the database shall contain only aggregate data by charter school, school district, or attendance center thereof, and shall be a public record. DESE shall share data relating to school safety incidents and credible school safety threats with the Department of Public Safety.
This provision is similar to HB 1074 (2025) and a provision in HCS/HBs 408, 306 & 854 (2025).
ACTIVE MILITARY MEMBERS (Section 160.701)
The act provides that a statewide activities association that includes at least one public school district as a fee-paying member shall not require students who are on active duty in the United States Armed Forces, including members of the National Guard and Reserve on active duty orders, to attend a minimum number of practices as a condition of such student's membership on any group or team facilitated or overseen by such association.
This provision is identical to a provision in SCS/HCS/HB 607 (2025).
ADULT HIGH SCHOOLS (Sections 160.2700, 160.2705, and 160.2710)
The act lowers the minimum age of a student who may enroll in an adult high school from 21 years of age to 18 years of age.
To be eligible to operate an adult high school, an organization shall demonstrate success in providing job placement services to adults 18 years of age or older, instead of 21 years of age or older, in addition to satisfying certain other conditions set forth in current law.
Additionally, a student transferring from a local education agency to an adult high school shall be considered a transfer student and not a dropout student from the local education agency.
These provisions are identical to HCS/HB 32 (2025) and provisions in SCS/HCS/HB 607 (2025) and HCS/SS/SB 266 (2025), and are similar to SB 426 (2025).
TEACHER REPRESENTATIVES ON THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION (Section 161.026)
The act modifies the appointment of teacher representatives to the State Board of Education by providing that, for the second and succeeding appointments, the teacher representative shall not be appointed from the same congressional district as the two immediately preceding teacher representatives, rather than requiring all appointments to be made in rotation from each congressional district. The act further repeals the August 28, 2025, expiration date of these provisions.
These provisions are similar to HCS/HB 1413 (2025), SB 737 (2025) and provisions in HCS/SS/SB 266 (2025).
STEM CAREER AWARENESS (Section 161.264)
This act creates the "STEM Career Awareness Activity Fund" for the purpose of establishing a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activity program for students in grades nine through twelve. Under the act, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) shall select a provider to deliver a teacher-led program that involves facilitating a cohort of students to conduct STEM activities at state, national, or international competitions. DESE shall select a provider that presents data demonstrating the effectiveness of the program in achieving certain goals specified in the act. DESE shall begin soliciting applications from providers by January 1, 2026, and select a provider by March 1, 2026.
This provision is identical to HB 1111 (2025) and a provision in HCS/HB 33 (2025), and is substantially similar to SB 265 (2025), HB 1972 (2024), SB 535 (2023), HB 887 (2023), and provisions in SCS/SB 976 (2024), HCS/SB 1039 (2024), HCS/SS/SCS/SBs 411 & 230 (2023), and HCS/HB 502 (2023).
VIRTUAL ASSESSMENTS (Section 161.670)
This act provides that any virtual school or program that is part of the Missouri Course Access and Virtual School Program may administer any statewide assessment virtually, except for college readiness or workforce readiness assessments provided by a national college and career readiness assessment provider. The act outlines requirements for such virtual assessments, including the monitoring of students via a camera and the maintaining of a student-to-proctor ratio that is targeted at 10-1 or lower.
This provision is identical to a provision in SCS/HCS/HB 607 (2025) and is similar to SB 1049 (2024) and provisions in HCS/HB 220 (2025) and HCS#2/SS/SB 266 (2025).
ELECTRONIC PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS DEVICES (Section 162.207)
Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, each school district and charter school shall adopt a written policy regarding students' possession or use of electronic personal communication devices. Such a policy shall be designed to promote students' educational interests and ensure a safe, effective working environment for staff and volunteers. The act defines an "electronic personal communications device" as a portable device that is used to initiate, receive, store, or view communication, information, images, or data electronically.
At a minimum, the policy shall prohibit students from using or displaying these devices from the beginning until the end of the school day, including, but not limited to, during instructional time, meal times, breaks, time between classes, and study halls. The policy shall also outline disciplinary procedures for violations and include exceptions for students who need devices due to specific educational or health needs, such as individualized education plans or 504 plans under federal law. Exceptions may allow device use in emergencies, as defined in the act, or for authorized educational purposes. The policy shall be published on the school district's or charter school's website, and school employees or volunteers shall be immune from liability if they act in good faith and follow the policy's