(1) The general assembly hereby finds that:
(a) Conflicts and offenses arising during the school day interrupt learning, threaten school safety, and often lead to suspensions, expulsions, and an increase in the likelihood of a student dropping out of school;
(b) Students who drop out of high school face diminished job opportunities, lower lifetime earnings, and increased unemployment and more often require public assistance. They are more likely to participate in criminal activity, resulting in higher incarceration rates, and they face much greater challenges to becoming productive, contributing members of their communities.
(c) School conflicts can result in offenses that violate school rules and local laws and damage relationships among members of the school and surrounding community;
(d) Restorative justice, which requires the offender to accept responsibility and accountability for his or her actions, teaches conflict resolution, repairs the harm from the offense, reduces classroom disruptions, suspensions, expulsions, and consequent dropouts, promotes school safety, and enables victims, offenders, and community members to rebuild the community and restore relationships; and
(e) The general assembly has a vital interest in reducing classroom disruptions, suspensions, expulsions, and dropout rates and in assisting victims, reducing referrals to the justice system, and building safer, more cohesive school communities to promote learning.
(2) (a) Therefore, the general assembly supports and encourages the use of restorative justice as a school's first consideration to remediate offenses such as interpersonal conflicts, bullying, verbal and physical conflicts, theft, damage to property, class disruption, harassment and internet harassment, and attendance issues.
(b) The general assembly encourages each school district to implement training and education in the principles and practices of restorative justice to ensure that capable personnel and resources are available to successfully facilitate all steps of the restorative justice process.
(3) For purposes of this section, restorative justice means practices that emphasize repairing the harm to the victim and the school community caused by a student's misconduct. Restorative justice practices may include victim-initiated victim-offender conferences attended voluntarily by the victim, a victim advocate, the offender, school members, and supporters of the victim and the offender, which program provides an opportunity for the offender to accept responsibility for the harm caused to those affected by the act and to participate in setting consequences to repair the harm. Consequences recommended by the participants may include, but need not be limited to, apologies, community service, restitution, restoration, and counseling. The selected consequences shall be incorporated into an agreement that sets time limits for completion of the consequences and is signed by all participants.
(4) Each school district is encouraged to develop and utilize restorative justice practices that are part of the disciplinary program of each school in the district.
Source: L. 2011: Entire section added, (HB 11-1032), ch. 296, p. 1407, � 17, effective August 10.
22-32-145. Native American language and culture instruction - general credit. A school district board of education may adopt a policy to grant general education or world language credit for the successful completion of Native American language course work for languages of federally recognized tribes. A person instructing a Native American language course shall meet the requirements set forth in section 22-60.5-111 (15).
Source: L. 2012: Entire section added, (SB 12-057), ch. 120, p. 409, � 2, effective August 8.
22-32-146. School use of on-site peace officers as school resource officers. (1) If a school resource officer or other law enforcement officer acting in his or her official capacity on school grounds, in a school vehicle, or at a school activity or sanctioned event arrests a student of the school, the officer shall notify the principal of the school or his or her designee of the arrest within twenty-four hours after the arrest.
(2) If a school resource officer or other law enforcement officer acting in his or her official capacity on school grounds, in a school vehicle, or at a school activity or sanctioned event issues a summons, ticket, or other notice requiring the appearance of a student of the school in court or at a police station for investigation relating to an offense allegedly committed on school grounds, in a school vehicle, or at a school activity or sanctioned event, the officer shall notify the principal of the school or his or her designee of the issuance of the summons, ticket, or other notice within ten days after the issuance of the summons, ticket, or other notice.
(3) A school resource officer shall be familiar with the provisions of the conduct and discipline code of the school to which he or she is assigned.
(4) Commencing August 1, 2013, and continuing through August 1, 2014, each law enforcement agency employing or contracting with any law enforcement officer who is acting or has acted in his or her official capacity on school grounds, in a school vehicle, or at a school activity or sanctioned event shall report to the division of criminal justice created in section 24-33.5-502, C.R.S., in aggregate form without personal identifying information, data about the cases handled by the agency on school grounds, in a school vehicle, or at a school activity or sanctioned event. Failure to submit a timely report to the division of criminal justice pursuant to this subsection (4) does not relieve a law enforcement agency of its responsibility to file the report required by this subsection (4). A law enforcement agency that has failed to file a timely report shall file all such reports with the division of criminal justice no later than August 15, 2015. Each such report must include, at a minimum, the following information:
(a) The number of students investigated by the officer for delinquent offenses, including the number of students investigated for each type of delinquent offense for which the officer investigated at least one student;
(b) The number of students arrested by the officer, including the offense for which each such arrest was made;
(c) The number of summonses or tickets issued by the officer to students; and
(d) The age, gender, school, and race or ethnicity of each student whom the officer arrested or to whom the officer issued a summons, ticket, or other notice requiring the appearance of the student in court or at a police station for investigation relating to an offense allegedly committed on school grounds, in a school vehicle, or at a school activity or sanctioned event.
(5) (a) On or before August 1, 2015, each law enforcement agency that is acting or has acted in its official capacity on school grounds, in a school vehicle, or at a school activity or sanctioned event shall report to the division of criminal justice, in the formats developed by the division in conjunction with local law enforcement agencies, the information required pursuant to paragraph (c) of this subsection (5) that is related to all student tickets, summonses, or arrests that occurred during the 2014-15 academic year, excluding incidents that occurred during the summer of 2014, at a public elementary school, middle or junior high school, or high school; in a school vehicle; or at a school activity or sanctioned event.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 19-1-303 (5), C.R.S., on or before August 1, 2016, and every August 1 thereafter, each law enforcement agency that is acting or has acted in its official capacity on school grounds, in a school vehicle, or at a school activity or sanctioned event shall report to the division of criminal justice, in formats developed by the division in conjunction with local law enforcement agencies, the information required pursuant to paragraph (c) of this subsection (5) that is related to all student tickets, summonses, or arrests that occurred for the previous academic year, including incidents that occurred during the previous summer months, at a public elementary school, middle or junior high school, or high school; in a school vehicle; or at a school activity or sanctioned event.
(c) For each report required pursuant to paragraph (a) or (b) of this subsection (5), the law enforcement agency shall report:
(I) The student's full name;
(II) The student's date of birth;
(III) The student's race, ethnicity, and gender;
(IV) The name of the school where the incident occurred or the name of the school that operated the vehicle or held the activity or event;
(V) The date of the arrest or taking of a student into custody;
(VI) The date of the issuance of the summons or ticket;
(VII) The arrest or incident report number as recorded by the law enforcement agency;
(VIII) The single most serious offense for which a student is arrested, issued a summons, or issued a ticket using the national crime information center (NCIC) crime code;
(IX) The type of weapon involved, if any, for offenses classified as group A offenses under the national incident-based reporting system; and
(X) The law enforcement agency's originating reporting identifier.
(d) A law enforcement agency may report the information required pursuant to this subsection (5) on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis. The law enforcement agency shall inform the division of criminal justice of the reporting schedule it will follow.
Source: L. 2012: Entire section added, (HB 12-1345), ch. 188, p. 738, � 23, effective May 19. L. 2015: IP(4) amended and (5) added, (HB 15-1273), ch. 323, p. 1320, � 3, effective June 5. L. 2016: (5)(b) amended, (HB 16-1098), ch. 103, p. 298, � 4, effective April 15.
22-32-147. Use of restraints on students - certain restraints prohibited - reports and review process - rules - definitions. (Repealed)
Source: L. 2017: Entire section added, (HB 17-1276), ch. 270, p. 1488, � 4, effective August 9. L. 2022: (1)(b.7), (3)(b.5), (3)(d), (5), and (6) added and IP(3)(c) amended, (HB 22-1376), ch. 243, p. 1803, � 6, effective May 26. L. 2025: Entire section repealed, (HB 25-1248), ch. 251, p. 1260, � 5, effective May 24.