Senate Engrossed

 

 

 

 

State of Arizona

Senate

Fiftieth Legislature

Second Regular Session

2012

 

 

SENATE BILL 1066

 

 

 

AN ACT

 

amending sections 15‑203 and 15‑341, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to the state board of education.

 

 

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

 



Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1.  Section 15-203, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE15-203.  Powers and duties

A.  The state board of education shall:

1.  Exercise general supervision over and regulate the conduct of the public school system and adopt any rules and policies it deems necessary to accomplish this purpose.

2.  Keep a record of its proceedings.

3.  Make rules for its own government.

4.  Determine the policy and work undertaken by it.

5.  Appoint its employees, on the recommendation of the superintendent of public instruction.

6.  Prescribe the duties of its employees if not prescribed by statute.

7.  Delegate to the superintendent of public instruction the execution of board policies and rules.

8.  Recommend to the legislature changes or additions to the statutes pertaining to schools.

9.  Prepare, publish and distribute reports concerning the educational welfare of this state.

10.  Prepare a budget for expenditures necessary for proper maintenance of the board and accomplishment of its purposes and present the budget to the legislature.

11.  Aid in the enforcement of laws relating to schools.

12.  Prescribe a minimum course of study in the common schools, minimum competency requirements for the promotion of pupils from the third grade and minimum course of study and competency requirements for the promotion of pupils from the eighth grade.  The state board of education shall prepare a fiscal impact statement of any proposed changes to the minimum course of study or competency requirements and, on completion, shall send a copy to the director of the joint legislative budget committee and the executive director of the school facilities board.  The state board of education shall not adopt any changes in the minimum course of study or competency requirements in effect on July 1, 1998 that will have a fiscal impact on school capital costs.

13.  Prescribe minimum course of study and competency requirements for the graduation of pupils from high school.  The state board of education shall prepare a fiscal impact statement of any proposed changes to the minimum course of study or competency requirements and, on completion, shall send a copy to the director of the joint legislative budget committee and the executive director of the school facilities board.  The state board of education shall not adopt any changes in the minimum course of study or competency requirements in effect on July 1, 1998 that will have a fiscal impact on school capital costs.

14.  Supervise and control the certification of persons engaged in instructional work directly as any classroom, laboratory or other teacher or indirectly as a supervisory teacher, speech therapist, principal or superintendent in a school district, including school district preschool programs, or any other educational institution below the community college, college or university level, and prescribe rules for certification, including rules for certification of teachers who have teaching experience and who are trained in other states, which that are not unnecessarily restrictive and are substantially similar to the rules prescribed for the certification of teachers trained in this state.  The rules shall:

(a)  Allow a variety of alternative teacher and administrator preparation programs, with variations in program sequence and design, to apply for program approval.  The state board shall adopt rules pursuant to this subdivision designed to allow for a variety of formats and shall not require a prescribed answer or design from the program provider in order to obtain approval from the state board.  The state board shall evaluate each program provider based on the program's ability to prepare teachers and administrators and to recruit teachers and administrators with a variety of experiences and talents.  The state board shall permit universities under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents, community colleges in this state, private postsecondary institutions licensed by this state, school districts, charter schools and professional organizations to apply for program approval and shall create application procedures and certification criteria that are less restrictive than those for traditional preparation programs.  Alternative preparation program graduates shall:

(i)  Hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited postsecondary education institution.

(ii)  Demonstrate professional knowledge and subject knowledge proficiency pursuant to section 15‑533.

(iii)  Obtain a fingerprint clearance card pursuant to section 15-534.

(iv)  Complete training in structured English immersion as prescribed by the state board.

(v)  Complete training in research based systematic phonics instruction as prescribed in subdivision (b) of this paragraph.

(vi)  Demonstrate the required proficiency in the constitutions of the United States and Arizona as prescribed in section 15‑532.

(b)  Require applicants for all certificates for common school instruction to complete a minimum of forty‑five classroom hours or three college level credit hours, or the equivalent, of training in research based systematic phonics instruction from a public or private provider.

(c)  Not require a teacher to obtain a master's degree or to take any additional graduate courses as a condition of certification or recertification.

(d)  Allow a general equivalency diploma to be substituted for a high school diploma in the certification of emergency substitute teachers.

(e)  Allow but shall not require the superintendent of a school district to obtain certification from the state board of education.

15.  Adopt a list of approved tests for determining special education assistance to gifted pupils as defined in and as provided in chapter 7, article 4.1 of this title.  The adopted tests shall provide separate scores for quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning and nonverbal reasoning and shall be capable of providing reliable and valid scores at the highest ranges of the score distribution.

16.  Adopt rules governing the methods for the administration of all proficiency examinations.

17.  Adopt proficiency examinations for its use.  The state board of education shall determine the passing score for the proficiency examination.

18.  Include within its budget the cost of contracting for the purchase, distribution and scoring of the examinations as provided in paragraphs 16 and 17 of this subsection.

19.  Supervise and control the qualifications of professional nonteaching school personnel and prescribe standards relating to qualifications.  The standards shall not require the business manager of a school district to obtain certification from the state board of education.

20.  Impose such disciplinary action, including the issuance of a letter of censure, suspension, suspension with conditions or revocation of a certificate, upon a finding of immoral or unprofessional conduct.

21.  Establish an assessment, data gathering and reporting system for pupil performance as prescribed in chapter 7, article 3 of this title.

22.  Adopt a rule to promote braille literacy pursuant to section 15‑214.

23.  Adopt rules prescribing procedures for the investigation by the department of education of every written complaint alleging that a certificated person has engaged in immoral conduct.

24.  For purposes of federal law, serve as the state board for vocational and technological education and meet at least four times each year solely to execute the powers and duties of the state board for vocational and technological education.

25.  Develop and maintain a handbook for use in the schools of this state that provides guidance for the teaching of moral, civic and ethical education.  The handbook shall promote existing curriculum frameworks and shall encourage school districts to recognize moral, civic and ethical values within instructional and programmatic educational development programs for the general purpose of instilling character and ethical principles in pupils in kindergarten programs and grades one through twelve.

26.  Require pupils to recite the following passage from the declaration of independence for pupils in grades four through six at the commencement of the first class of the day in the schools, except that a pupil shall not be required to participate if the pupil or the pupil's parent or guardian objects:

We hold these truths to be self‑evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. . . .

27.  Adopt rules that provide for teacher certification reciprocity.  The rules shall provide for a one year reciprocal teaching certificate with minimum requirements, including valid teacher certification from a state with substantially similar criminal history or teacher fingerprinting requirements and proof of the submission of an application for a fingerprint clearance card pursuant to title 41, chapter 12, article 3.1.  For teachers who provide Arizona online instruction pursuant to section 15‑808, the rules shall allow automatic certification reciprocity with other states that have similar programs.

28.  Adopt rules that provide for the presentation of an honorary high school diploma to a person who has never obtained a high school diploma and who meets both of the following requirements:

(a)  Currently resides in this state.

(b)  Provides documented evidence from the Arizona department of veterans' services that the person enlisted in the armed forces of the United States and served in World War I, World War II, the Korean conflict or the Vietnam conflict.

29.  Cooperate with the Arizona‑Mexico commission in the governor's office and with researchers at universities in this state to collect data and conduct projects in the United States and Mexico on issues that are within the scope of the duties of the department of education and that relate to quality of life, trade and economic development in this state in a manner that will help the Arizona‑Mexico commission to assess and enhance the economic competitiveness of this state and of the Arizona‑Mexico region.

30.  Adopt rules to define and provide guidance to schools as to the activities that would constitute immoral or unprofessional conduct of certificated persons.

31.  Adopt guidelines to encourage pupils in grades nine, ten, eleven and twelve to volunteer for twenty hours of community service before graduation from high school.  A school district that complies with the guidelines adopted pursuant to this paragraph is not liable for damages resulting from a pupil's participation in community service unless the school district is found to have demonstrated wanton or reckless disregard for the safety of the pupil and other participants in community service.  For the purposes of this paragraph, "community service" may include service learning. The guidelines shall include the following:

(a)  A list of the general categories in which community service may be performed.

(b)  A description of the methods by which community service will be monitored.

(c)  A consideration of risk assessment for community service projects.

(d)  Orientation and notification procedures of community service opportunities for pupils entering grade nine, including the development of a notification form.  The notification form shall be signed by the pupil and the pupil's parent or guardian, except that a pupil shall not be required to participate in community service if the parent or guardian notifies the principal of the pupil's school in writing that the parent or guardian does not wish the pupil to participate in community service.

(e)  Procedures for a pupil in grade nine to prepare a written proposal that outlines the type of community service that the pupil would like to perform and the goals that the pupil hopes to achieve as a result of community service.  The pupil's written proposal shall be reviewed by a faculty advisor, a guidance counselor or any other school employee who is designated as the community service program coordinator for that school.  The pupil may alter the written proposal at any time before performing community service.

(f)  Procedures for a faculty advisor, a guidance counselor or any other school employee who is designated as the community service program coordinator to evaluate and certify the completion of community service performed by pupils.

(g)  Procedures established in cooperation with the governor's office to encourage pupils to perform two hundred hours of community service pursuant to the guidelines adopted in this paragraph in order to apply for a community service commendation from the governor.

32.  To facilitate the transfer of military personnel and their dependents to and from the public schools of this state, pursue, in cooperation with the Arizona board of regents, reciprocity agreements with other states concerning the transfer credits for military personnel and their dependents.  A reciprocity agreement entered into pursuant to this paragraph shall:

(a)  Address procedures for each of the following:

(i)  The transfer of student records.

(ii)  Awarding credit for completed course work.

(iii)  Permitting a student to satisfy the graduation requirements prescribed in section 15‑701.01 through the successful performance on comparable exit-level assessment instruments administered in another state.

(b)  Include appropriate criteria developed by the state board of education and the Arizona board of regents.

33.  Adopt guidelines that school district governing boards shall use in identifying pupils who are eligible for gifted programs and in providing gifted education programs and services.  The state board of education shall adopt any other guidelines and rules that it deems necessary in order to carry out the purposes of chapter 7, article 4.1 of this title.

34.  For each of the alternative textbook formats of human-voiced audio, large-print and braille, designate alternative media producers to adapt existing standard print textbooks or to provide specialized textbooks, or both, for pupils with disabilities in this state.  Each alternative media producer shall be capable of producing alternative textbooks in all relevant subjects in at least one of the alternative textbook formats.  The board shall post the designated list of alternative media producers on its website.

35.  Adopt a list of approved professional development training providers for use by school districts as provided in section 15-107, subsection J.  The professional development training providers shall meet the training curriculum requirements determined by the state board of education in at least the areas of school finance, governance, employment, staffing, inventory and human resources, internal controls and procurement.

36.  Adopt rules to prohibit a person who violates the notification requirements prescribed in section 15-183, subsection C, paragraph 8 or section 15‑550, subsection C from certification pursuant to this title until the person is no longer charged or is acquitted of any offenses listed in section 41‑1758.03, subsection B.  The board shall also adopt rules to prohibit a person who violates the notification requirements, certification surrender requirements or fingerprint clearance card surrender requirements prescribed in section 15-183, subsection C, paragraph 9 or section 15‑550, subsection D from certification pursuant to this title for at least ten years after the date of the violation.

37.  Adopt rules for the alternative certification of teachers of nontraditional foreign languages that allow for the passing of a nationally accredited test to substitute for the education coursework required for certification.

38.  On or before December 15, 2011, adopt and maintain a model framework for a teacher and principal evaluation instrument that includes quantitative data on student academic progress that accounts for between thirty‑three per cent and fifty per cent of the evaluation outcomes and best practices for professional development and evaluator training.  School districts and charter schools shall use an instrument that meets the data requirements established by the state board of education to annually evaluate individual teachers and principals beginning in school year 2012‑2013.

B.  The state board of education may:

1.  Contract.

2.  Sue and be sued.

3.  Distribute and score the tests prescribed in chapter 7, article 3 of this title.

4.  Provide for an advisory committee to conduct hearings and screenings to determine whether grounds exist to impose disciplinary action against a certificated person, whether grounds exist to reinstate a revoked or surrendered certificate and whether grounds exist to approve or deny an initial application for certification or a request for renewal of a certificate.  The board may delegate its responsibility to conduct hearings and screenings to its advisory committee.  Hearings shall be conducted pursuant to title 41, chapter 6, article 6.

5.  Proceed with the disposal of any complaint requesting disciplinary action or with any disciplinary action against a person holding a certificate as prescribed in subsection A, paragraph 14 of this section after the suspension or expiration of the certificate or surrender of the certificate by the holder.

6.  Assess costs and reasonable attorney fees against a person who files a frivolous complaint or who files a complaint in bad faith.  Costs assessed pursuant to this paragraph shall not exceed the expenses incurred by the state board in the investigation of the complaint. END_STATUTE

Sec. 2.  Section 15-341, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE15-341.  General powers and duties; immunity; delegation

A.  The governing board shall:

1.  Prescribe and enforce policies and procedures for the governance of the schools, not inconsistent with law or rules prescribed by the state board of education.

2.  Exclude from schools all books, publications, papers or audiovisual materials of a sectarian, partisan or denominational character.

3.  Manage and control the school property within its district.

4.  Acquire school furniture, apparatus, equipment, library books and supplies for the use of the schools.

5.  Prescribe the curricula and criteria for the promotion and graduation of pupils as provided in sections 15‑701 and 15‑701.01.

6.  Furnish, repair and insure, at full insurable value, the school property of the district.

7.  Construct school buildings on approval by a vote of the district electors.

8.  Make in the name of the district conveyances of property belonging to the district and sold by the board.

9.  Purchase school sites when authorized by a vote of the district at an election conducted as nearly as practicable in the same manner as the election provided in section 15‑481 and held on a date prescribed in section 15‑491, subsection E, but such authorization shall not necessarily specify the site to be purchased and such authorization shall not be necessary to exchange unimproved property as provided in section 15‑342, paragraph 23.

10.  Construct, improve and furnish buildings used for school purposes when such buildings or premises are leased from the national park service.

11.  Purchase school sites or construct, improve and furnish school buildings from the proceeds of the sale of school property only on approval by a vote of the district electors.

12.  Hold pupils to strict account for disorderly conduct on school property.

13.  Discipline students for disorderly conduct on the way to and from school.

14.  Except as provided in section 15‑1224, deposit all monies received by the district as gifts, grants and devises with the county treasurer who shall credit the deposits as designated in the uniform system of financial records.  If not inconsistent with the terms of the gifts, grants and devises given, any balance remaining after expenditures for the intended purpose of the monies have been made shall be used for reduction of school district taxes for the budget year, except that in the case of accommodation schools the county treasurer shall carry the balance forward for use by the county school superintendent for accommodation schools for the budget year.

15.  Provide that, if a parent or legal guardian chooses not to accept a decision of the teacher as provided in section 15‑521, paragraph 3, the parent or legal guardian may request in writing that the governing board review the teacher's decision.  Nothing in This paragraph shall not be construed to release school districts from any liability relating to a child's promotion or retention.

16.  Provide for adequate supervision over pupils in instructional and noninstructional activities by certificated or noncertificated personnel.

17.  Use school monies received from the state and county school apportionment exclusively for payment of salaries of teachers and other employees and contingent expenses of the district.

18.  Make an annual report to the county school superintendent on or before October 1 in the manner and form and on the blanks prescribed by the superintendent of public instruction or county school superintendent.  The board shall also make reports directly to the county school superintendent or the superintendent of public instruction whenever required.

19.  Deposit all monies received by school districts other than student activities monies or monies from auxiliary operations as provided in sections 15‑1125 and 15‑1126 with the county treasurer to the credit of the school district except as provided in paragraph 20 of this subsection and sections 15‑1223 and 15‑1224, and the board shall expend the monies as provided by law for other school funds.

20.  Establish bank accounts in which the board during a month may deposit miscellaneous monies received directly by the district.  The board shall remit monies deposited in the bank accounts at least monthly to the county treasurer for deposit as provided in paragraph 19 of this subsection and in accordance with the uniform system of financial records.

21.  Prescribe and enforce policies and procedures for disciplinary action against a teacher who engages in conduct that is a violation of the policies of the governing board but that is not cause for dismissal of the teacher or for revocation of the certificate of the teacher.  Disciplinary action may include suspension without pay for a period of time not to exceed ten school days.  Disciplinary action shall not include suspension with pay or suspension without pay for a period of time longer than ten school days. The procedures shall include notice, hearing and appeal provisions for violations that are cause for disciplinary action.  The governing board may designate a person or persons to act on behalf of the board on these matters.

22.  Prescribe and enforce policies and procedures for disciplinary action against an administrator who engages in conduct that is a violation of the policies of the governing board regarding duties of administrators but that is not cause for dismissal of the administrator or for revocation of the certificate of the administrator.  Disciplinary action may include suspension without pay for a period of time not to exceed ten school days.  Disciplinary action shall not include suspension with pay or suspension without pay for a period of time longer than ten school days.  The procedures shall include notice, hearing and appeal provisions for violations that are cause for disciplinary action.  The governing board may designate a person or persons to act on behalf of the board on these matters.  For violations that are cause for dismissal, the provisions of notice, hearing and appeal in chapter 5, article 3 of this title shall apply.  The filing of a timely request for a hearing suspends the imposition of a suspension without pay or a dismissal pending completion of the hearing.

23.  Notwithstanding sections 13‑3108 and 13‑3120, prescribe and enforce policies and procedures that prohibit a person from carrying or possessing a weapon on school grounds unless the person is a peace officer or has obtained specific authorization from the school administrator.

24.  Prescribe and enforce policies and procedures relating to the health and safety of all pupils participating in district sponsored practice sessions or games or other interscholastic athletic activities, including:

(a)  The provision of water.

(b)  Guidelines, information and forms, developed in consultation with a statewide private entity that supervises interscholastic activities, to inform and educate coaches, pupils and parents of the dangers of concussions and head injuries and the risks of continued participation in athletic activity after a concussion.  The policies and procedures shall require that, before a pupil participates in an athletic activity, the pupil and the pupil's parent must sign an information form at least once each school year that states that the parent is aware of the nature and risk of concussion.  The policies and procedures shall require that a pupil who is suspected of sustaining a concussion in a practice session, game or other interscholastic athletic activity be immediately removed from the athletic activity.  A coach from the pupil's team or an official or a licensed health care provider may remove a pupil from play.  A team parent may also remove his or her the parent's own child from play.  A pupil may return to play on the same day if a health care provider rules out a suspected concussion at the time the pupil is removed from play.  On a subsequent day, the pupil may return to play if the pupil has been evaluated by and received written clearance to resume participation in athletic activity from a health care provider who has been trained in the evaluation and management of concussions and head injuries.  A health care provider who is a volunteer and who provides clearance to participate in athletic activity on the day of the suspected injury or on a subsequent day is immune from civil liability with respect to all decisions made and actions taken that are based on good faith implementation of the requirements of this subdivision, except in cases of gross negligence or wanton or wilful neglect.  A school district, school district employee, team coach, official or team volunteer or a parent or guardian of a team member is not subject to civil liability for any act, omission or policy undertaken in good faith to comply with the requirements of this subdivision or for a decision made or an action taken by a health care provider.  A group or organization that uses property or facilities owned or operated by a school district for athletic activities shall comply with the requirements of this subdivision.  A school district and its employees and volunteers are not subject to civil liability for any other person or organization's failure or alleged failure to comply with the requirements of this subdivision.  This subdivision does not apply to teams that are based in another state and that participate in an athletic activity in this state.  For the purposes of this subdivision, athletic activity does not include dance, rhythmic gymnastics, competitions or exhibitions of academic skills or knowledge or other similar forms of physical noncontact activities, civic activities or academic activities, whether engaged in for the purposes of competition or recreation. For the purposes of this subdivision, " health care provider" means a physician who is licensed pursuant to title 32, chapter 13 or 17, an athletic trainer who is licensed pursuant to title 32, chapter 41, a nurse practitioner who is licensed pursuant to title 32, chapter 15, and a physician assistant who is licensed pursuant to title 32, chapter 25.

25.  Prescribe and enforce policies and procedures regarding the smoking of tobacco within school buildings.  The policies and procedures shall be adopted in consultation with school district personnel and members of the community and shall state whether smoking is prohibited in school buildings. If smoking in school buildings is not prohibited, the policies and procedures shall clearly state the conditions and circumstances under which smoking is permitted, those areas in a school building that may be designated as smoking areas and those areas in a school building that may not be designated as smoking areas.

26.  Establish an assessment, data gathering and reporting system as prescribed in chapter 7, article 3 of this title.

27.  Provide special education programs and related services pursuant to section 15‑764, subsection A to all children with disabilities as defined in section 15‑761.

28.  Administer competency tests prescribed by the state board of education for the graduation of pupils from high school.

29.  Ensure that insurance coverage is secured for all construction projects for purposes of general liability, property damage and workers' compensation and secure performance and payment bonds for all construction projects.

30.  Keep on file the resumes of all current and former employees who provide instruction to pupils at a school.  Resumes shall include an individual's educational and teaching background and experience in a particular academic content subject area.  A school district shall inform parents and guardians of the availability of the resume information and shall make the resume information available for inspection on request of parents and guardians of pupils enrolled at a school.  Nothing in This paragraph shall not be construed to require any school to release personally identifiable information in relation to any teacher or employee, including the teacher's or employee's address, salary, social security number or telephone number.

31.  Report to local law enforcement agencies any suspected crime against a person or property that is a serious offense as defined in section 13-706 or that involves a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument or serious physical injury and any conduct that poses a threat of death or serious physical injury to employees, students or anyone on the property of the school.  This paragraph does not limit or preclude the reporting by a school district or an employee of a school district of suspected crimes other than those required to be reported by this paragraph.  For the purposes of this paragraph, "dangerous instrument", "deadly weapon" and "serious physical injury" have the same meanings prescribed in section 13‑105.

32.  In conjunction with local law enforcement agencies and local medical facilities, develop an emergency response plan for each school in the school district in accordance with minimum standards developed jointly by the department of education and the division of emergency management within the department of emergency and military affairs.

33.  Provide written notice to the parents or guardians of all students affected in the school district at least ten days prior to a public meeting to discuss closing a school within the school district.  The notice shall include the reasons for the proposed closure and the time and place of the meeting.  The governing board shall fix a time for a public meeting on the proposed closure no less than ten days before voting in a public meeting to close the school.  The school district governing board shall give notice of the time and place of the meeting.  At the time and place designated in the notice, the school district governing board shall hear reasons for or against closing the school.  The school district governing board is exempt from this paragraph if it is determined by the governing board that the school shall be closed because it poses a danger to the health or safety of the pupils or employees of the school.  A governing board may consult with the school facilities board for technical assistance and for information on the impact of closing a school.  The information provided from the school facilities board shall not require the governing board to take or not take any action.

34.  Incorporate instruction on Native American history into appropriate existing curricula.

35.  Prescribe and enforce policies and procedures allowing pupils who have been diagnosed with anaphylaxis by a health care provider licensed pursuant to title 32, chapter 13, 14, 17 or 25 or by a registered nurse practitioner licensed and certified pursuant to title 32, chapter 15 to carry and self-administer emergency medications, including auto‑injectable epinephrine, while at school and at school sponsored activities.  The pupil's name on the prescription label on the medication container or on the medication device and annual written documentation from the pupil's parent or guardian to the school that authorizes possession and self-administration is sufficient proof that the pupil is entitled to the possession and self‑administration of the medication.  The policies shall require a pupil who uses auto-injectable epinephrine while at school and at school sponsored activities to notify the nurse or the designated school staff person of the use of the medication as soon as practicable.  A school district and its employees are immune from civil liability with respect to all decisions made and actions taken that are based on good faith implementation of the requirements of this paragraph, except in cases of wanton or wilful neglect.

36.  Allow the possession and self-administration of prescription medication for breathing disorders in handheld inhaler devices by pupils who have been prescribed that medication by a health care professional licensed pursuant to title 32.  The pupil's name on the prescription label on the medication container or on the handheld inhaler device and annual written documentation from the pupil's parent or guardian to the school that authorizes possession and self-administration shall be sufficient proof that the pupil is entitled to the possession and self‑administration of the medication.  A school district and its employees are immune from civil liability with respect to all decisions made and actions taken that are based on a good faith implementation of the requirements of this paragraph.

37.  Prescribe and enforce policies and procedures to prohibit pupils from harassing, intimidating and bullying other pupils on school grounds, on school property, on school buses, at school bus stops, at school sponsored events and activities and through the use of electronic technology or electronic communication on school computers, networks, forums and mailing lists that include the following components:

(a)  A procedure for pupils, parents and school district employees to confidentially report to school officials incidents of harassment, intimidation or bullying.  The school shall make available written forms designed to provide a full and detailed description of the incident and any other relevant information about the incident.

(b)  A requirement that school district employees report in writing suspected incidents of harassment, intimidation or bullying to the appropriate school official and a description of appropriate disciplinary procedures for employees who fail to report suspected incidents that are known to the employee.

(c)  A requirement that, at the beginning of each school year, school officials provide all pupils with a written copy of the rights, protections and support services available to a pupil who is an alleged victim of an incident reported pursuant to this paragraph.

(d)  If an incident is reported pursuant to this paragraph, a requirement that school officials provide a pupil who is an alleged victim of the incident with a written copy of the rights, protections and support services available to that pupil.

(e)  A formal process for the documentation of reported incidents of harassment, intimidation or bullying and for the confidentiality, maintenance and disposition of this documentation.  School districts shall maintain documentation of all incidents reported pursuant to this paragraph for at least six years.  The school shall not use that documentation to impose disciplinary action unless the appropriate school official has investigated and determined that the reported incidents of harassment, intimidation or bullying occurred. If a school provides documentation of reported incidents to persons other than school officials or law enforcement, all individually identifiable information shall be redacted.

(f)  A formal process for the investigation by the appropriate school officials of suspected incidents of harassment, intimidation or bullying, including procedures for notifying the alleged victim on completion and disposition of the investigation.

(g)  Disciplinary procedures for pupils who have admitted or been found to have committed incidents of harassment, intimidation or bullying.

(h)  A procedure that sets forth consequences for submitting false reports of incidents of harassment, intimidation or bullying.

(i)  Procedures designed to protect the health and safety of pupils who are physically harmed as the result of incidents of harassment, intimidation and bullying, including, if appropriate, procedures to contact emergency medical services or law enforcement agencies, or both.

(j)  Definitions of harassment, intimidation and bullying.

38.  Prescribe and enforce policies and procedures regarding changing or adopting attendance boundaries that include the following components:

(a)  A procedure for holding public meetings to discuss attendance boundary changes or adoptions that allows public comments.

(b)  A procedure to notify the parents or guardians of the students affected.

(c)  A procedure to notify the residents of the households affected by the attendance boundary changes.

(d)  A process for placing public meeting notices and proposed maps on the school district's website for public review, if the school district maintains a website.

(e)  A formal process for presenting the attendance boundaries of the affected area in public meetings that allows public comments.

(f)  A formal process for notifying the residents and parents or guardians of the affected area as to the decision of the governing board on the school district's website, if the school district maintains a website.

(g)  A formal process for updating attendance boundaries on the school district's website within ninety days of an adopted boundary change.  The school district shall send a direct link to the school district's attendance boundaries website to the department of real estate.

(h)  If the land that a school was built on was donated within the past five years, a formal process to notify the entity that donated the land affected by the decision of the governing board.

39.  If the state board of education determines that the school district has committed an overexpenditure as defined in section 15-107, provide a copy of the fiscal management report submitted pursuant to section 15-107, subsection H on its website and make copies available to the public on request.  The school district shall comply with a request within five business days after receipt.

40.  Ensure that the contract for the superintendent is structured in a manner in which up to twenty per cent of the total annual salary included for the superintendent in the contract is classified as performance pay.  Nothing in This paragraph shall not be construed to require school districts to increase total compensation for superintendents.  Unless the school district governing board votes to implement an alternative procedure at a public meeting called for this purpose, the performance pay portion of the superintendent's total annual compensation shall be determined as follows:

(a)  Twenty‑five per cent of the performance pay shall be determined based on the percentage of academic gain determined by the department of education of pupils who are enrolled in the school district compared to the academic gain achieved by the highest ranking of the fifty largest school districts in this state.  For the purposes of this subdivision, the department of education shall determine academic gain by the academic growth achieved by each pupil who has been enrolled at the same school in a school district for at least five consecutive months measured against that pupil's academic results in the 2008‑2009 school year.  For the purposes of this subdivision, of the fifty largest school districts in this state, the school district with pupils who demonstrate the highest statewide percentage of overall academic gain measured against academic results for the 2008‑2009 school year shall be assigned a score of 100 and the school district with pupils who demonstrate the lowest statewide percentage of overall academic gain measured against academic results for the 2008‑2009 school year shall be assigned a score of 0.

(b)  Twenty‑five per cent of the performance pay shall be determined by the percentage of parents of pupils who are enrolled at the school district who assign a letter grade of "A" to the school on a survey of parental satisfaction with the school district.  The parental satisfaction survey shall be administered and scored by an independent entity that is selected by the governing board and that demonstrates sufficient expertise and experience to accurately measure the results of the survey.  The parental satisfaction survey shall use standard random sampling procedures and provide anonymity and confidentiality to each parent who participates in the survey.  The letter grade scale used on the parental satisfaction survey shall direct parents to assign one of the following letter grades:

(i)  A letter grade of "A" if the school district is excellent.

(ii)  A letter grade of "B" if the school district is above average.

(iii)  A letter grade of "C" if the school district is average.

(iv)  A letter grade of "D" if the school district is below average.

(v)  A letter grade of "F" if the school district is a failure.

(c)  Twenty‑five per cent of the performance pay shall be determined by the percentage of teachers who are employed at the school district and who assign a letter grade of "A" to the school on a survey of teacher satisfaction with the school.  The teacher satisfaction survey shall be administered and scored by an independent entity that is selected by the governing board and that demonstrates sufficient expertise and experience to accurately measure the results of the survey.  The teacher satisfaction survey shall use standard random sampling procedures and provide anonymity and confidentiality to each teacher who participates in the survey.  The letter grade scale used on the teacher satisfaction survey shall direct teachers to assign one of the following letter grades:

(i)  A letter grade of "A" if the school district is excellent.

(ii)  A letter grade of "B" if the school district is above average.

(iii)  A letter grade of "C" if the school district is average.

(iv)  A letter grade of "D" if the school district is below average.

(v)  A letter grade of "F" if the school district is a failure.

(d)  Twenty‑five per cent of the performance pay shall be determined by other criteria selected by the governing board.

41.  Maintain and store permanent public records of the school district as required by law.  Notwithstanding section 39‑101, the standards adopted by the Arizona state library, archives and public records for the maintenance and storage of school district public records shall allow school districts to elect to satisfy the requirements of this paragraph by maintaining and storing these records either on paper or in an electronic format, or a combination of a paper and electronic format.

42.  Prescribe criteria and adopt polices and procedures for pupils who wish to apply for a community service commendation from the governor under the guidelines adopted by the state board of education pursuant to section 15‑203.

B.  Notwithstanding subsection A, paragraphs 7, 9 and 11 of this section, the county school superintendent may construct, improve and furnish school buildings or purchase or sell school sites in the conduct of an accommodation school.

C.  If any school district acquires real or personal property, whether by purchase, exchange, condemnation, gift or otherwise, the governing board shall pay to the county treasurer any taxes on the property that were unpaid as of the date of acquisition, including penalties and interest.  The lien for unpaid delinquent taxes, penalties and interest on property acquired by a school district:

1.  Is not abated, extinguished, discharged or merged in the title to the property.

2.  Is enforceable in the same manner as other delinquent tax liens.

D.  The governing board may not locate a school on property that is less than one‑fourth mile from agricultural land regulated pursuant to section 3‑365, except that the owner of the agricultural land may agree to comply with the buffer zone requirements of section 3‑365.  If the owner agrees in writing to comply with the buffer zone requirements and records the agreement in the office of the county recorder as a restrictive covenant running with the title to the land, the school district may locate a school within the affected buffer zone.  The agreement may include any stipulations regarding the school, including conditions for future expansion of the school and changes in the operational status of the school that will result in a breach of the agreement.

E.  A school district, its governing board members, its school council members and its employees are immune from civil liability for the consequences of adoption and implementation of policies and procedures pursuant to subsection A of this section and section 15‑342.  This waiver does not apply if the school district, its governing board members, its school council members or its employees are guilty of gross negligence or intentional misconduct.

F.  A governing board may delegate in writing to a superintendent, principal or head teacher the authority to prescribe procedures that are consistent with the governing board's policies.

G.  Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, a school district governing board shall not take any action that would result in a reduction of pupil square footage unless the governing board notifies the school facilities board established by section 15‑2001 of the proposed action and receives written approval from the school facilities board to take the action.  A reduction includes an increase in administrative space that results in a reduction of pupil square footage or sale of school sites or buildings, or both.  A reduction includes a reconfiguration of grades that results in a reduction of pupil square footage of any grade level.  This subsection does not apply to temporary reconfiguration of grades to accommodate new school construction if the temporary reconfiguration does not exceed one year.  The sale of equipment that results in a reduction that falls below the equipment requirements prescribed in section 15‑2011, subsection B is subject to commensurate withholding of school district capital outlay revenue limit monies pursuant to the direction of the school facilities board.  Except as provided in section 15‑342, paragraph 10, proceeds from the sale of school sites, buildings or other equipment shall be deposited in the school plant fund as provided in section 15‑1102.

H.  Subsections C through G of this section apply to a county board of supervisors and a county school superintendent when operating and administering an accommodation school. END_STATUTE

Sec. 3.  Retroactivity

This act is effective retroactively to from and after January 1, 2012.