As part of the Oregon Legislature's emphasis on social justice issues for the 2021 session, Senator Sara Gelser (D-Corvallis) and Representative Courtney Neron (D-Wilsonville) have teamed up to introduce HB 2504 which "directs school districts to identify several disciplinary mediators and to train and compensate mediators, providing mediation when out-of-school suspension or expulsion is proposed or upon request for other disciplinary incidents." The bill, which does not describe what the "Disciplinary Mediators" are supposed to do, says that each public school district:

Must identify at least one employee for every 250 students to act as a disciplinary mediator. The disciplinary mediator must be appropriately trained and provided additional compensation for being a mediator. Mediation must be provided when:
(A) The school district proposes to impose an out-of-school suspension or expulsion; or
(B) Requested by a student, parent or other employee of the school district for a disciplinary incident.

The bill doesn't stop there. It requires an annual evaluation, which will only put more expense and effort on the district.

Each school district shall conduct an annual evaluation on the use of discipline in each of the schools of the school district. The evaluation must include:
(a) A review of disciplinary incidents during the school year to determine if there is a racial disparity in the use of discipline. The determination shall be based on data, including the local characteristics of the school.
(b) The establishment of data-driven, locally-based goals to reduce any racial disparity in the use of discipline.

Certainly no one would disagree that school districts -- at least the administration -- is filled with persons woke enough to fairly administer discipline. Apparently, despite the wokeness -- the same wokeness that says that showing math work is a sign of white supremacy -- school administrators are not able to fairly administer justice and need these regulations. This is just the latest attempt on the part of the party in power to regulate and legislate their way to social justice and fair racial policies.

The bill currently sits in the House Education Committee. It has not been scheduled for a hearing.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-02-19 07:27:37

Last Update: 2021-02-18 21:30:50