# 119-s-5470: Protecting our Students in Schools Act of 2026

119-s-5470, Protecting our Students in Schools Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT] (D-CT); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-15).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5470
- As of: 2026-10-15
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5470
- Congress: 119
- Title: Protecting our Students in Schools Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-09-23
- Sponsor: Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT] (D-CT)
- Cosponsors: 4
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-15

## Summary

**Would ban corporal punishment in any school or program that receives federal funds.** It would pair that ban with private and government enforcement options, required state and local reporting, and grants to expand positive behavioral supports.

## Cosponsors (4)

- Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (D-IL), 2026-09-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA] (D-VA), 2026-09-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-09-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD] (D-MD), 2026-09-23T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Ban on corporal punishment and enforcement: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would bar corporal punishment in any school program that gets federal money. Students or parents would be able to sue in State or Federal court for injunctive relief, compensatory damages, and attorneys' and expert fees. The Attorney General would be able to sue after a parent…
- Grants to improve school climate: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Department of Education would award competitive, 3-year grants to States to support positive behavioral, restorative, and trauma-informed models. States would competitively subgrant to school districts and must show reductions in suspensions, school-related arrests, or police referr…
- State reporting and rule deadlines: benefit, medium. If enacted, State education agencies would have to send written assurances and a school climate report. The first report would be due within 1 year of enactment, then yearly for three years, then at least once every two years. Local districts would have to give the information the State asks for. T…
- Which schools and staff are covered: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would define which programs and staff the ban covers. It would cover Head Start programs, all local school systems, and some private schools that enroll students getting IDEA services. Schools run or funded by the Departments of Defense and the Interior would have to follow the…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act
- 119-s-3448: Keeping All Students Safe Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5470 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5470)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3869)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [119-s-3448: Keeping All Students Safe Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3448)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5470 (as of 2026-10-15).