House committee hears bill to clarify school discipline and readmission after firearm incidents

Chair Santos opened the public hearing on House Bill 2246, which staff counsel Megan Wardacki presented as an update and clarification of existing rules for firearm-related discipline in public elementary and secondary schools. Wardacki told the committee the bill extends provisions authorizing up to one-year expulsions to charter schools, state tribal education compact schools, the school for the blind, the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth and educational service districts (ESDs), except when an ESD is acting as an institutional education provider. She also summarized procedural protections the bill preserves, including a reengagement meeting within 20 days of disciplinary action and a requirement that reengagement plans be re-evaluated every six months until the student is fully re-enrolled.

Representative Lowe, the bill’s prime sponsor, told the committee she brought the measure after constituents raised confusion following an incident at Arlington High School. Lowe said the intent is to ‘‘give the administration, really give the school board members some flexibility, instead of doing a one size fits all’’ and to ensure ‘‘we don't forget about these students, that these students are still getting educated.’’ She said she is open to amendments and wants boards and administrators to coordinate on discipline and appeals.

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) representative Misha Trunisky told the committee OSPI supports safe schools but flagged a technical concern: the bill’s language that would limit reconsideration or appeals to a single filing is inconsistent with current rules and merits further work with the agency. OSPI also offered preliminary data: for the 2023–24 school year, the agency reported 48 expulsions related to firearms and 198 suspensions out of roughly 4,000 weapon-related incidents; OSPI staff said they would provide the committee’s requested reports and background materials.

Karen Pillar, executive director of TeamChild, testified in opposition. Pillar said expulsions and long-term exclusion make it ‘‘very hard for a student who's suspended or expelled to ever recover and return from school’’ and warned the bill could deepen exclusion rather than support reengagement. She urged the committee to build evidence-based interventions into any policy changes and to ensure that students disciplined for firearm-related violations receive meaningful supports to return to school.

Committee members asked multiple technical and policy questions: whether existing statute (including a 2016 omnibus education bill, cited in the hearing as House Bill 1541) already requires reengagement services; whether the constitutional right to a public education could be implicated for students placed in special institutions; and whether OSPI or districts had been contacted in the Arlington case. Staff and witnesses frequently offered to provide follow-up written materials and legal clarifications.

The hearing record in the transcript shows no formal motion or committee vote on HB 2246 during this session; Vice Chair Shavers read sign-in tallies before the hearing closed. The committee closed the public hearing and moved on to the next item on the agenda.

The committee will retain the record and may consider amendments after follow-up from staff and agencies.