SB274 By Senator Ward RFD Education and Youth Affairs Rd 1 23-FEB-16

SYNOPSIS: This bill would establish the Educator-Student Interaction Training Act.

This bill would require the State Superintendent of Education, the School Superintendents of Alabama, and the Alabama Education Association to develop and disseminate at an annual institute attended by public school educators, one hour of training regarding appropriate and inappropriate interaction between educators and students.

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT

Relating to public K-12 education; to establish the Educator-Student Interaction Training Act; to require the State Superintendent of Education, the School Superintendents of Alabama, and the Alabama Education Association to develop and disseminate at an annual institute attended by public school educators, one hour of training regarding appropriate and inappropriate interaction between educators and students.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:

Section 1. (a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the Educator-Student Interaction Training Act.

(b) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(1) The overwhelming majority of educators in the public schools of the state are dedicated professionals who comport themselves accordingly. However, an increasing number of incidents have been reported in recent years where educators have had inappropriate contact with students, both in person and through social media, and in the contexts of discipline and inappropriate relationships.

(2) Bringing together public education stakeholders to develop and disseminate additional training for educators on appropriate conduct should help reduce the number of such incidents and ensure the safety and well-being of public school students.

(c) The State Superintendent of Education, the School Superintendents of Alabama, and the Alabama Education Association shall cooperatively develop and disseminate training regarding appropriate and inappropriate interaction between educators and students. At a minimum, the training shall include instruction on state law, state and local education policies, and best practices regarding all of the following:

(1) Sexual or romantic contact between educators and students.

(2) Social media interaction between educators and students.

(3) Interaction between educators and students outside of the school setting.

(4) Corporal punishment and other disciplinary measures.

(5) The use of physical restraint in maintaining order in the classroom.

(d) Training shall be provided to educators annually beginning with the 2016-2017 academic year as part of the institutes required under Section 16-23-7, Code of Alabama 1975, and shall be at least one hour in length.

(e)(1) No person shall have a cause of action for any loss or damage caused by any act or omission resulting from the implementation of this section or resulting from any training, or lack thereof, required by this section.

(2) The training, or lack thereof, required by this section may not be construed to impose any specific duty of care or function as a waiver of any immunity or other affirmative defense otherwise provided by law.

(f) The training required by this section is not subject to waiver under the Alabama Accountability Act.

Section 2. This act shall become effective on the first day of the third month following its passage and approval by the Governor, or its otherwise becoming law.

Education

Schools

Teachers

Superintendent of Education, State

School Superintendents of Alabama

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