FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 20 2011

CONTACT:

Senate Democrats: Eddie Stern, (303) 866-4882, edward.stern@state.co.us
House Republicans: Owen Loftus, (303) 866-5679, owen.loftus@state.co.us
Bi-partisan task force to evaluate school discipline practices finalized

Legislators announce citizen membership on committee
DENVER— Today, legislators announced the citizen membership on the
Legislative Task Force to Study School Discipline, created this past
session by Senate Bill 133.

Senators Linda Newell (D-Littleton) and Evie Hudak (D-Westminster) and
Representative B.J. Nikkel (R-Loveland) sponsored Senate Bill 133.

Senator Newell, chair of the task force, offered the following comment
on the selection of citizen members:

“I am pleased to announce the full membership on this important group.
We have seen an enormous outpouring of interest and support from the
public. I look forward to working with the diverse, bipartisan group
of individuals and organizations seeking to address the problems that
exist in school discipline policies and to support safe and effective
classrooms for Colorado kids.”

Over the last ten years, nearly 100,000 students across the state have
been referred to law enforcement by their schools. The majority of
these referrals have been for minor offenses that reflect normal
adolescent behavior and do not threaten school safety. Behavior that
once would have resulted in a trip to the principal’s office or a call
home now results in an arrest or a trip to juvenile court. The school
discipline crisis in Colorado prevents thousands of students from
getting the quality education they deserve, and often undermines
school safety.

Senator Hudak offered the following comment on the announcement of the
task force’s full membership:

“This is an issue of great importance, and I am pleased to see the
task force come together. The diverse perspectives and wealth of
expertise on the task force will enable us to identify ways to restore
balance and fairness to school discipline policies and ensure that
every student has the opportunity to pursue their education in safe
and supportive schools.”

The task force will study the issue of fair discipline in schools and
solicit input from schools and administrators, students, parents, and
the community. The task force will gather data on disciplinary
strategies and the use of criminal justice sanctions in public schools
across Colorado, including the overuse of suspensions, expulsions,
school-based arrests and tickets, using this research to recommend
alternative policies and offer solutions for the consideration of
legislative action in the 2012 session.

Representative Nikkel offered the following comment on the
announcement of committee appointments:

“I’m very excited to begin working together with a broad coalition of
talented people on the Task Force who will help us analyze and restore
balanced policies in our state, and fair disciplinary practices within our
schools, so that teachers can effectively do their jobs and kids can learn
in a safe environment.”

The criteria used to consider applicants to serve on the task force were:

• Statutory criteria listed in the bill
• Geography in the State – rural, urban and suburban perspectives
• Experience with school discipline policies
• Expertise of restorative justice practices or juvenile justice programs
• Ability to be a voice for a variety of student ethnicities, at-risk children and students of all abilities
• The applicant’s potential contributions to discussions about solutions, not just the problem

Below is a list of the full membership of the Legislative Task Force
to Study School Discipline:

Citizen Members:

Stephanie Garcia (School District Representative)
Lorrie Smith (Teachers and School Administrators Representative)
Yevette Plummer (Parent)
Doug Ross (Law Enforcement, Sergeant)
John Jackson (Law Enforcement, Police Chief)
Stan Garnett (District Attorney)
Kim Dvorchak (Defense Attorney)
Ben Cairns (Restorative justice Practitioner)
Marco Nunez (Community Organization Representative)
Marjorie “Peg” Rudden (Child Advocacy Organization Representative)

Legislative Members:

Senator Linda Newell (Chair)
Representative B.J. Nikkel (Vice Chair)
Senator Evie Hudak
Senator Keith King
Representative Claire Levy
Representative Libby Szabo

The first meeting of the task force will be Wednesday, July 27th at
1:00 pm. For more information and to follow the work of the task
force, visit the task force website: Legislative Task Force to Study
School Discipline <http://www.colorado.gov/lcs/schooldisciplinetf/>
This is a joint release from the Colorado Senate Democrats and House
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